Step By Step
by Dinosaur-Ghosts
Summary: Following the adventure that is Bruce Banner and Natasha Romanoff; watch as they meet, become friends, learn to trust one another, and even fall in love. SPOILERS FOR AGE OF ULTRON IN LATER CHAPS! T for later language and some scenes. Multiple Avenger Pairings. R&R please!
1. First Impressions

**A/N: So, I've had a lot of requests for a longer Brutasha/ HulkxWidow story, so I thought I would take a hand at it... Even though I suck at finishing long stories, and life tends to get to me because of full time job and everything. NONE THE LESS! I shall attempt this!**

 **I have most of the first three chapters done- and the middle three done in my head -and I only intend for this to be 9-10 chapters, anyway... Hopefully that means this won't be so hard to finish. Wishful thinking? Probably. Am I still going to attempt it? Most definitely.**

 **So, the first two chapters will span before Avengers Age of Ultron, the third will center around the new movie, and everything after that will be AU.**

 **(Side Note: I don't actually know why I give these run downs of my chapters, I think it just makes me feel more organized as an author... Sorry if they bug you as a reader though!)**

 **Also, thanks to everyone who has been leaving reviews, favoriting, and following my other stories, it is much appreciated! Through this longer story I will attempt to reply to most of the reviews and maybe even have a few contests/ questions for you guys within the story if I get enough response.**

 **Now, enough babbling on from me! Onto what you all really want, the story!**

 **I don't own anything within the Marvel Universe, or the characters, just my plot ideas... Also a very cute and annoying German Shepherd dog who tries to bite my fingers while I'm typing. Enjoy!**

 **Step By Step**

 **Chapter 1: First Impressions**

The first time he met her, it was under duress; or under gunpoint in Calcutta. He wasn't dumb- science background aside he was actually rather smart on his own -and even without the Other Guy's heightened senses, he knew an ambush when he was in one. So, their first meeting was unpleasant, at least in the beginning. He had heard of the infamous Black Widow- anyone in their line of work had at least heard of her -but being in confined quarters with her was something else entirely.

"You know for a man avoiding stress," She said," You picked a helluva a place to settle..."

"Avoiding stress isn't the secret," He said rather honestly, given the fact that he was currently being held semi-hostage.

"Then what is? Yoga?" She said in a coy sarcasm that may have annoyed him if it hadn't been so refreshing compared to most people walking on eggshells around him." I assume the whole place is surrounded?"

He glanced around the room, taking a rather casual pose and messing with the hem of his shirt as he wondered how long he would be forced to stay.

"Just you and me," She replied. He may have believed her if her big blue eyes hadn't flicked up and away from his gaze at the last second.

"And your actress buddy?" He gestured at the window where the small girl who had led him here had escaped," Is she a spy too? Do they start that young?"

"I did."

There was an honest note to this statement, but also a bitter edge that caught his attention. It pulled his gaze back up to her very deep blue eyes... A train of thought he wasn't comfortable with, at all. She was pretty, but he didn't ever notice those sort of things.

"And who are you?" He asked. He didn't realize until it was said that he meant this as a deeper question than the obvious; sure he knew who she was but not _who_ she was and why she of all people was here for him.

"Natasha Romanoff," She said smoothly and Bruce he focused on those syllables, as if they would give a deeper answer than just a name.

"Are you here to kill me Ms. Romanoff?" He asked tiredly." Because that's not going to work out for anyone..."

He knew better than anyone how that would end; he had tried.

"No, no, of course not," She said in such an easy tone that he glanced up at her in shock and surprise." I'm here on behalf of S.H.I.E.L.D."

At last, a name he recognized.

" S.H.I.E.L.D.," He spat the name out with just a side of bitter." How did they find me?"

"Oh, we never lost you, Doctor," Natasha said in that coyly sarcastic voice that he was beginning to like- despite his best efforts." we've been..." She paused for a moment," Keeping our distance, even kept a few interested parties off your scent."

A peace treaty; this was supposed to make him feel better about her as well as the organization that had sent her after him.

"Why?" He wasn't buying their olive branch, no matter how appealing it might be.

"Nick Fury seems to trust you..." She said, dipping her head at his annoyance. She glanced up a moment later, and he was surprised at the level gaze he received." But now we need you to come in."

There it was; the other shoe dropped at last.

"What if I said no?"

"I'll persuade you."

He was quite sure she would try, and he was embarrassed to admit the images that floated into his mind at what she might use as tactics. He found even the Other Guy was chuckling a bit at the agent's grit and audacity.

"What if the Other Guy says no?" He lied smoothly, curious as to what she would say.

"You've been a year with no incident," She said with a smile," I don't think you want ot break that streak."

"Well, I don't always get what I want."

"Doctor," She said, suddenly all business," We're facing a global catastrophe."

"Now those I actively avoid," He chuckled, the irony thick in his voice.

"And this is the Tesseract," Natasha went on without missing a beat or replying to his quip," It has the potential to wipe out a planet."

"What does Fury want me to do?" He asked studying the phone and the image on it." Swallow it?"

"He wants you to _find_ it," Natasha corrected him," It's been taken. It emits a Gamma signature that is too weak for us to trace."

There's a first; they didn't need the Other Guy, they needed _him_.

"There's no one who knows Gamma radiation like you..."

The other shoe dropped once more, and he sighed at the irony of this entire situation.

"If there was, that's where I'd be," She finished quietly. Of course she would; he was nothing but another mission to mark off of her mental checklist.

"So Fury doesn't want the monster?"

"Not that he's told me."

"And he tells you everything?"

"Talk to Fury on this-"

"He's gonna put me in a cage?"

"No he's going to-"

" _Stop lying to me_!" He cried. He soon found himself at the end of her gun as fast as it had taken him to slam his hands on the crate between them and raise his voice. He smiled, despite himself." Sorry, that was mean. I just wanted to see what you'd do." She still held her stance. Smart girl." Why don't we do this the easy way? Where you don't use that, and the Other Guy doesn't make a mess? Okay, Natasha?"

She didn't move for another moment, and when she did, he couldn't hide his knowing grin.

"Stand down," She said into an ear piece. He had to bite back a bitter laugh at being right about this being an ambush." We're all good here."

"Just you and me," he grinned mimicking her flawless and coy sarcasm. He couldn't be sure, but he thought he saw her give him a small and appreciative smile at that comment.

 **()()()()()()()()()()()()()**

The first time she met him, it was terrifying and eye opening. He was different than she had thought he would be; less scared and slightly more sharp witted... He was still scared, but who wouldn't be if they had what he did growling at the back of his brain. She had also found a familiar haunted aspect in his brown eyes that she wasn't expecting; it was a look she saw in the mirror every morning, or after an especially long mission. She hadn't been expecting to find a kindred soul in Doctor Bruce Banner, but she felt oddly comforted by it. She also hadn't been expecting the twinge it sent into her chest, a feeling that urged her to see past the Hulk and try to understand _him_.

It was during their first meeting that Natasha realized she was not only in trouble, she was utterly screwed.

 **()()()()()()()()()()()()()**

 **A/N: So first chapter, just some tweaks to their first encounter- inspired by a review I got asking to do a more in depth look at what they thought during their first meeting.**

 **I did some tweaking with words and such, watched this scene about ten times, and tried out a new style where I didn't use their names very much; tried to make it a little more personal depending on the POV I was using. It's not terrible, I don't think I'll be using it a lot, though.**

 **Anyway, hope everyone enjoyed, I'm going to try to type the second chapter tonight, and post it tomorrow. Please review!**

 _ **Ciao**_ **!**


	2. One Step Forward Two Steps Back

**A/N: Hello! Thank you to everyone who has followed or put my story on their favorite list already! I'd love to hear from a few more of you, just a few more reviews, if it's not too much to ask?**

 **This chapter is going to fall before then through Winter Soldier, and end just before the events of AoU. We'll focus on how the lullaby started, and then the building friendship between Bruce and Natasha.**

 **Now, I ended up not working today- I'm a private nanny and the family I work for went on vacation for the weekend -so if I can type this and et my next chapter started before boyfriend and I have to leave to look at cars- he's buying a new one and wants to test drive them -you guys may get two chapters today! Wouldn't that be something with my update record...**

 **So, per usual I do not own anything Marvel related- unless you count my Avenger pajama set, which** _ **is**_ **pretty comfy... -just my plot ideas. Enjoy!**

 **Step By Step**

 **Chapter Two: One Step Forward, Two Steps Back**

It had been all too easy to become friends with Bruce Banner. He didn't force the friendship (like Tony had)or created it due to necessity of their work (like Steve) or even assumed it (as Thor did). And he didn't have to try as hard as Clint had, which was a bit unnerving seeing as Clint was her best friend... Once Loki was gone and life returned to their version of normal, Natasha found herself taking Stark up on his offer of returning to his tower, when she wasn't on a mission. She tried to use the excuse that Tony had so many rooms- and rent was so high in New York -that she was doing him a favor, but that sounded fake even to her own ears. The truth was, she didn't mind being around those in the tower.

Given that she was now living there- a phrase that made her shiver, but Tony dance around with glee every time she admitted it -and Bruce was also holing up there until further notice, they became friends. Not right away, of course; it took awhile for Natasha to use that term with anyone, but she found herself using it with Bruce a little too easily. It started with sitting in the lab after she returned from a mission; the lab on the eighth floor- where his living suite was, as well -was on her way up to her own quarters on the ninth, and it was nice to have a moment to relax before facing sleep and the nightmares that may come from her mission. Bruce never pushed conversation, like Tony did, so she could sit and watch his methodical workings until she felt ready to go up to her room.

Once she got comfortable with this arrangement, she found herself _wanting_ to make conversation with the quiet scientist; she would ask what he was working on, and in turn he would ask how she was doing or how her mission went. Soon, the conversations spanned beyond just the normal "How are you?" and "How was your mission this time?", moving towards more personal things. Before Natasha knew it- or could have any control over it -she was joining Bruce and Tony for Movie Night in the commons, or staying up for midnight coffee and all night lab sessions with Bruce. She was friends with him, and she wasn't sure if that unnerved her more than how easy it had been, or how much she liked that they were friends.

Natasha should have felt a bit more unsettled by how easily she had fallen into this new routine and this new friendship- given it was ingrained into her very being from the Red Room training, to always be unsettled -but she wasn't. Instead, she felt comfortable and happy for the first time in a long time- not since the last time she spent a few weeks with Clint and Laura. She wasn't sure that Bruce felt the same way about their friendship, until one night over tea when he told her that even the Other Guy seemed a little quieter when she was around. This was how the idea started in Natasha's mind, and idea that was both crazy and likely to fail. The rest of the idea came on another night, when Bruce was explaining why he enjoyed listening to opera when he had a "Hulk Out" moment.

"I don't really know why it helps me..." Bruce admitted, rubbing the back of his head in a nervous gesture that Natasha recognized now," Maybe because all of these songs- no matter how intricate and beautiful they sound -are really about very mundane things. They're all singing about lovers, or what they did that day, or how late in the day it's getting... But it sounds like so much more, especially if it's in another language."

"So, like this one?" Natasha nodded at the record player where he had a beautiful Italian aria playing," It sounds all fancy, but really she's just pointing out that the sun is getting real low in the sky?"

"Something like that," Bruce grinned at her," It also helps that a lot of the operas I listen to have a tempo that matches the heart rate I need to be at to calm back into myself.

Natasha pondered this last piece to the puzzle of an idea she had, until about three weeks later when she was returning from a particularly bad mission. She was ready to skip her talk with Bruce all together- because all she wanted was a shower and some take out -but she entered to see the lower lab- by the vehicle entrance level -in shambles. Tony was currently battling a very green version of their friend, and looked like he was losing.

"What the hell Tony?!" Natasha cried, dodging behind a desk the Hulk had thrown back towards where he heard her.

"Not my fault!" Tony cried back, trying to re-engage his thrusters to start pushing the Hulk backwards," One of the prototypes for our Iron Sentinels went a little... Trigger happy... Minor programming issue, all fixed up! But poor Bruce here," the Other Guy roared at that," I know you big lug! 'No mention puny Bruce'... Anyway, he didn't see it coming!"

The Hulk took this moment to give a particularly loud roar and then whirl around to face Natasha. His eyes were angry- as usual -but there was a desperate touch to them that she had never noticed before. It was this desperation that made her make an equally as desperate move; she stood up to meet him and held her hands up in surrender.

"H-hey Big Guy," She said, proud that she barely stuttered. Green eyes focused on her, but she didn't flinch or cower this time." Let's just calm down, okay? Think opera and sunsets, remember? 'Sun's getting real low' and all that jazz..."

This line of conversation- plucked entirely at random from Natasha's brain -seemed to remind him of something. He stilled, studying her and relaxing as much as a giant mass of muscle and rage could, under the circumstances.

"That's right!" Natasha urged him on with a careful smile," You remember we talked about that? I had that conversation with your dorkier side, remember?" The Green Guy seemed to almost grin at this, amused at her joke." I know, but he grows on you, really. Dork and all..." this was verging on territory Natasha wasn't ready to admit yet, so she moved on." Here..." She offered her hand up to him." Do you remember what else we said?"

The Hulk looked down at her hand, confused for a moment, and Natasha worried she might lose him, before he offered his own larger palm to her. She hesitantly touched her palm to his, and then used her fingertips to trace upwards to his pulse point.

"Wrong tempo," She told him, never breaking eye contact. She gave a few , slower, taps to his pulse and watch as the Hulk's shoulders relaxed a bit." The one about the sun getting low goes like this."

She continued her rhythmic tapping for a moment, before the large palm was yanked away to grasp an equally large and green head. Suddenly, he was swaying, confused and calm and turning back into the smaller frame of Bruce. Tony was staring so hard between the two, that she was scared that his eyes would pop out of his head at any moment.

"How did you-"

"I don't know," She admitted," We were talking about it when I was home, last time... How opera calms him down... So I sort of winged it from what we said..."

"That is the most kick-ass lullaby ever!" Tony cried, pointing at Natasha for harder inflection on his words. His eyes widened at his statement and he grinned like child on Christmas day." Oh! Totally patenting that! This needs to go into the Avenger File!"

Meanwhile, Natasha's focus had shifted onto Bruce, who was now coherent again, and trying to shake away the fog of his change.

"Did you really call me the Hulk's Dorkier Side?"

 **()()()()()()()()()()()()()**

Just before Natasha had to jet off to help Cap with a super secret S.H.I.E.L.D. mission- more super secret than even Cap knew -the Lullaby (Tony's idea) had been mastered. Upon returning from the super secret mission, though, she felt like she was in more need of a good Lullaby than Bruce. Not only were all of her normal covers now blown, but she was ultimately unemployed, and her back story was out there; her hands had always been bloody, but no one had ever known just how much so, until now. She was more scared of what Bruce thought about her background than what any of the internet strangers who would see it did, though. She wasn't ready for him to look at her the same way he looked at herself in the mirror.

"Hey Red," Tony called as Natasha entered the common room and tossed a duffle bag on a nearby armchair. He was mixing drinks, from the look of it, and set one in front of himself, nodding at her." Vodka. Or is that just a little racist?"

"I assume you saw the news," Natasha said ignoring his quip. She did take the glass he had set down, however. She figured after everything in the past couple of weeks, she deserved it.

"Seen the news, trolled the internet, deleted a few accounts," Tony said, giving her a soft look. He didn't elaborate, but she knew what he meant, and saluted him with her glass before downing it in a way that made her nationality proud. The burn felt good going down her throat, and she gave him a glance of thanks for trying to mitigate how much about her got out.

"Natasha?" Bruce's voice filtered out from the elevator, and she winced. She was still not ready to see that look in his eyes; the look she was faced with every morning. Upon not getting an answer, though, he moved closer into the room, until he was at her side." Tasha? You okay?"

Even his nickname for her- the only one she allowed to shorten her name besides Clint -didn't stop her from wanting to curl into herself and hide.

"Okay is a loose term for what I am right now," She admitted, the words hurting as they came out. She chanced a glance at the scientists, and was surprised to find his chocolate eyes were filled with concern, not disgust or disappointment.

"Because of the S.H.I.E.L.D. thing?" Bruce asked, trying to meet her eyes.

"That?" Natasha scoffed in a way that was fake even to her own ears," Old news, Doctor." Bruce winced a little at this, having liked that they were on a first name basis." I need a shower... Thanks for the drink, Tony. And the... Other thing you said."

True to her spy training, she was gone as quickly and quietly as she arrived. Bruce looked up at Tony for help on what to do and he held up a bottle of Jack Daniels in response.

 **()()()()()()()()()()()()()**

The shower didn't help; if Tony had a shortage of hot water, she would have used it all up and then some, but it still didn't relax her. She slipped on a pair of yoga pants, a grey tanktop, and then tried to run a brush through her hair. As she left her bathroom and entered the bedroom area, she was surprised, and a little scared, to find Bruce waiting for her on the edge of the bed. He glanced up nervously- his hand probably rubbing the back of his neck raw by now -and she relaxed a little.

"What's wrong?" She asked. She hoped he had an issue so she could focus on something other than her own inner turmoil.

"I was hoping you would answer that question, instead, Tasha..."

Damn. No such luck. She sighed, sitting beside him and then falling back to sprawl out on the large bed. Her bare feet dangled off the side and after a moment of silence, Bruce lay back to join her.

"Just worried what you think of me, now that my bloody background is out there," Natasha said. Normally she would have begged off with some excuse or a carefully worded lie; but Bruce- so much like Clint and Laura -knew how to call her on her bull shit. Honesty was the best policy in their friendship, and they both instituted it, often.

"I didn't look at it, so I don't know how to answer that," Bruce said turning his head to face her. She knew that even her best attempts wouldn't have been able to hide the surprise in her big blue eyes.

"You didn't read it..."

"That's what I said."

"Bruce, everyone and their technologically-illiterate _grandmas_ read it!"

"Well I didn't," He said giving her a look that made it hard for her to think he was lying." I knew that it was private for you... Something you never meant for the public- or me -to know. I knew it would upset you, and so I didn't read it. Tony offered me the files- in case I was curious like he was -but I told him I didn't want them, and asked him to help me take down as much of it as we could."

Natasha stayed quiet for a very long moment, after that. Bruce didn't say anything, nor did he move. He just lay there next to her, watching as different emotions rolled through her cloudy blue eyes.

"They took me when I was young," Natasha said at last. Bruce didn't speak as she laid everything out for him; she told him everything that the internet knew, and then they stayed quiet for a very long time. By the time Bruce sat up and offered her his hand, it was dark outside.

"C'mon," He said as she put his hand in his," You need some Thai food and another one of Tony's drinks."

"You don't hate me?" Natasha asked, instead of moving. Bruce gave her a soft smile, his cheeks tinged pink as his fingers tightened around hers a little.

"Natasha, I don't think I could ever hate you."

After that, how could she not let him pull her up and comfort her for the entire night? But as they sat eating Thai and watching some of her favorite movies, Natasha knew that something between them had changed; she just wasn't sure if she liked it or not.

 **()()()()()()()()()()()()()**

 **A/N: That came out a LOT longer than I first intended... Not that I think anyone will complain, but my hands kinda hurt now from all the typing.**

 **I'm going to get started on the next chapter here soon, probably post it really late tonight though. Hope everyone enjoyed! And I'd love to have some more reviews because they make me update faster and they make me smile c:**

 **Next chapter I may have a question or poll for a chance to PM me an OC to use in a later chapter, we'll see how inspired I am.**

 **Hope you enjoyed!**


	3. Hard Time Moving Forward

**A/N: Here we are third chapter! I'm going to take this opportunity to answer some of the reviews I've gotten thus far- even the one liners -and then try to keep this up with every chapter after.**

 _ **rbavenger: thanks! I'm glad that so far everything has been to your liking! It always make me happy to hear that someone likes what I've written c:**_

 _ **Black' Victor Cachat: Thank you for both of your reviews! I'd hoped that my assessment from Bruce's point of view would be a good representation of Natasha's character, since a lot of fics don't give any description on how he sees her. And thank you for the longer review on mu second chapter; I worked pretty hard on the last chapter, trying to make sure there was a development in their relationship, versus some fics I've read where they jump right into them being mad for one another.**_

 _ **Cynn3Rose: Thank you! I figured that, given their relationship was already progressing, Bruce wouldn't look into her business because he knows what it's like to have your business be out there for everyone.**_

 _ **. : thanks for the review! I'm glad that it came off as cute, I was a bit scared that it would be too deep with the development!**_

 **I'll reply to other reviews like this, at the beginning of the chapters, so feel free to put questions ect in the reviews and I'll answer them!**

 **This chapter is going to focus on the Age of Ultron Movie, and change up/ edit some of the Brutasha moments from it. I may start into Bruce's mind set once he leaves Nat, but that's going to depend on how I feel towards the end.**

 **Once again I own nothing of the Avengers franchise and if I did I would probably be sipping mudslides on a beach somewhere, not curled up in my bedroom with my ratty old comforter. Enjoy!**

 **Step By Step**

 **Chapter 3: Hard Time Moving Forward**

"Hey Big Guy..." Natasha said easily, approaching the Hulk. He glanced her way, halfway through tearing apart another tanker." Sun's getting real low..."

The Big Guy paused, shaking his head, as if wanting to fight her words. Finally, as she waited with her hand outstretched, he came over and gave her his own hand. It was so easy, now, to calm the rage monster that was such a part of Bruce... Natasha watched as the Hulk began to shrink back into the scientist that she spent most of her time with. He shivered int he snow and she offered him the black blanket she had brought with her.

"You all good?"

"I didn't hurt anyone on our side, did I?" He asked, ignoring her question. Natasha shook her head and reached out to take his hand, tentatively as not to make him jump. Bruce gave her a grateful look and allowed her to lead him back towards the jet where Clint was being watched by Thor. They didn't talk for another little bit- him listening to his opera and she making sure Clint wasn't dying anytime soon -but when she did come back to him, his eyes were distracted.

"You doing okay?" She asked, pushing one of his headphones back so he could hear her.

"Just didn't realize it was going to be a code green," He admitted," Usually I have a little more mental prep time..."

"There would have been more casualties if you weren't there," Natasha said nodding towards Clint. Bruce didn't look as convinced as he should have been and she felt a little hurt by that." When are you going to trust me, Bruce?"

"Not you I don't trust, Tasha..." Those words sent a shiver down her spine, and she turned to Thor for help, to avoid figuring out why this happened. Even her best efforts- and Thor's not so best ones -didn't calm him very much, so Natasha let him hold her hand until they got back to the tower.

 **()()()()()()()()()()()()()**

A few days later, at the victory party that Tony was enforcing, Natasha found herself next to Bruce at the bar, while everyone else was leaving or winding down. She had still been trying to decipher why him trusting her made her heart beat a million miles a minute, but it had been put on the back burner because she didn't like any of the answers.

"What's a girl like you doing in a place like this?" He teased as she mixed them both a Martini. She grinned, liking when he was confident enough to tease and flirt with her.

"Man done did me wrong," She said giving him a teasing look, while her heart leapt up into her throat.

"You got lousy taste in men, kid," Bruce smiled touching the rim of his glass.

"He's not so bad," She said slipping away from their game a bit to be honest," He's got a temper..." Bruce's brown eyes flicked up to meet hers in a hopeful way." But deep down he's all fluff. Fact is, he's not like anybody I've ever known... All my friends are fighter, and here comes this guy who spends his life avoiding the fight because he knows he'll win."

"Sounds amazing..."

"He's also a huge dork," Natasha said, making Bruce choke a little on his drink, mid-laugh." No, it's okay, chicks dig that."

"Oh yeah sure..."

"So, what do you think?" Natasha asked, her breath catching as her words worked faster than her brain." Should I give up on him? Or should I... run with it?"

"Oh," Bruce said swallowing thickly." Run with it, definitely run with it... Unless, that is, what was it he did to 'wrong you'?"

"Not a damn thing," Natasha grinned, and then turned to walk away. Bruce couldn't help but watch her walk away as Cap came up beside him and tried to define whatever had been happening between them for the past months since the S.H.I.E.L.D. leak.

"Oh, no, Natasha... She likes to flirt..." Bruce tried to brush off what had happened.

"I've seen her flirting up close," Steve said," And that is not it... Look as probably the world's leading authority of waiting too long... Just don't. You both deserve something good for once..."

Bruce was caught off guard by this comment, and was thinking deeply on it until the earlier part of Steve's statement hit him.

"Wait, what do you mean up close?"

 **()()()()()()()()()()()()()**

Bruce wasn't sure how exactly they all ended up trying to lift Thor's hammer from its perch on the table. He watched as Tony and Rhodes tried to use their separate wrist thrusters to lift it, knowing that both men's egos would take a hit for the failure. It was equally entertaining to watch the look of surprise on Thor's face when Steve managed to move the hammer an inch or so forward. He was rather upset that no one but Natasha laughed at his joke about letting the Big Guy out to try and pick up the hammer.

God, watching her was intoxicating. Her laugh, the way that her head tilted back and fell past her full lips, the sound wrapping around the room like silk. He could pick up on damn near all of her ticks and hidden quirks- which she denied but he knew better. He knew that she looked up at the last second, when she was lying, that her favorite color wasn't red, but grey like the sky after a long rain, and that she would trade just about anything for a good plate of Thai food. He had picked up on a thousand little things that would mean nothing to anyone else, but everything to him. Natasha got him in a way that no one had ever before- not even Tony as much as his designated "Science Boyfriend" tried -and he made a conscious effort to do the same for her. He watched her eyes flicker in amusement as she declined her turn at lifting Thor's hammer. He was just thinking that he could get lost in those eyes, when everything went bad. At first, Bruce wasn't sure what it was he was looking at; an elaborate prank from Tony? A glitch in their newest tests? But then the robot said something that clicked in his mind.

"Ultron."

And then everything went to hell.

Natasha didn't have time to think about what she was doing; one moment they were laughing about a stupid hammer and its rules, and then she was grabbing Bruce and yanking him towards the only cover in the room: the bar. He landed on top of it, as she glided easily over and behind, so she yanked him down with her. This only served to have him fall on top of her and his face bury into her chest- an image and feeling she sort of wished was in a different setting... -before he tried to apologize and right himself. She had more pressing matters than his embarrassment, though.

"Don't turn green," She said grabbing the front of his shirt and pulling him so they were nose-to-nose. She tried to ignore how nice it felt to have his breath- smelling like cherry and mint form the cocktail she had made him -brushing against her cheeks and lips. What was wrong with her? Her entire life as a spy was going out the window for this adorable dork.

"I won't," He said back to her, his breath holding a more breathless quality than hers had. His hand moved up and curled around her waist, the other bracing himself up from crushing her with his waist. Her breath caught at his hand hit the skin where her dress didn't cover, from the low back. He glanced at her to make sure she was okay, and then fell forward a bit as one of the sentinels shot towards them. His eyes were looking just this side of green and Natasha couldn't have that.

"You can't turn green right now, Bruce," She said giving him an intense stare. He had trouble meeting her gaze and she felt him trying to calm his breaths. She grabbed his chin and turned him so he had no choice but to look at her." Just you and me, listening to opera... Normal day, no robots, no crazy design of Stark's... Just you and me..."

"I wish it was always just you and me, Natasha," He said in a pained voice," You make everything better..."

Natasha ignored what those words did to her stomach and made sure that he was calm before grabbing the gun she kept under the bar- just in case -and they started running from the action. Running from things seemed to be what she was good at tonight...

 **()()()()()()()()()()()()()**

Hours later, Natasha was standing before the mess that used to be their common room. She was trying to figure out how much it would take for Tony to fix and replace everything- not that the man cared he had more money than he knew what to do with -when someone decided to come find her.

"Tasha?"

Bruce, of course... Not that she wasn't happy that he was here, but... It was complicated how her brain was processing this whole thing. She was starting to feel more like a lovesick girl and less like a spy the more time they spent together, and she wasn't sure how to feel about that.

"Hey," She said, turning to glanced up at him. He was closer than she had first thought, and when his hand came up to touch her arm, gently, she found herself leaning into him." Shouldn't you be getting ready with the others?"

"I could ask you the same thing..." He said, his fingers spreading over her arm and rubbing up and down soothingly. Natasha felt a sigh escape her lips before she could stop it." We leave in the morning for wherever this guy is hiding out."

"I'm was going to shower and head to bed," Natasha admitted, covering Bruce's hand on her arm and tugging it away to hold instead," But I got distracted trying to figure out how much money Stark is going to throw away fixing this mess..."

"You're stalling going to bed," Bruce said. Natasha was a little put off that he so easily saw past her, and it must have shown on her face, because he smiled softly." Everyone seems to think you're a closed and locked book, Tasha... But I'm starting to realize that they just didn't understand what language you were written in."

"And you do?" Natasha asked taking a step towards him. There was barely an inch between their chests, and their faces would be even closer if she wasn't so much shorter than him. Bruce studied her eyes with a soft expression in his own.

"I think I'm learning it," He clarified," And I'm a fast learner."

Natasha nodded and then leaned her head against his shoulder. Bruce didn't move, letting her chose the pace of whatever was changing between them, but he did squeeze her hand to let her know he was here.

"Let's go clean up..." Natasha said after a long moment. It was Bruce's turn to nod this time, and he let her take him to the elevator. He didn't question her as she took him up to his floor, nor when she took the spare bathroom in the lab. He simply laid some extra towels and a shirt of his by the door before going to shower in his room. When he was done- and changed into a pair of worn pajama pants and an old t shirt -he came out into the living area to find her sitting on the couch in his shirt. He tucked the image away for a later date- one where he could hopefully do more than internally sigh at how good she looked -and then sat next to her.

"Do you want to stay here?"

"I don't know..."

"Should I go get Clint?"

"No, he's busy on the phone."

"Can I get you anything?"

"I don't think so."

"Tasha?"

"Bruce?"

"C'mere..."

Natasha hesitantly crawled over to him and he tugged her into a gentle hug. They sat like that for a long time before Natasha relaxed enough to fall asleep against his shoulder. He laid her on the couch and then fell asleep sitting beside her, watching over just in case.

 **()()()()()()()()()()()()()**

Bruce had been wrong before, about everything going to hell when Ultron first showed up; everything went to hell when Wanda and Pietro joined his side. He still couldn't wash away all the images that she had put into his- and ultimately the Hulk's -head. Worse still, was the fact that suddenly his worst fear became losing one particular person. He wasn't even given the privilege of being surprised to find that Clint was not only married, but he had a whole life that even S.H.I.E.L.D. didn't know about; He was too messed up at the moment to do much else than shower and then sleep, hopefully. Except once he left the shower, someone was waiting for him.

"Hi..." Natasha said softly, this time her turn to try and meet his eyes." I was going to join you, but... I thought it wasn't the best timing."

"I..." He fumbled for words." I used up all the hot water."

"Damn," She smiled," Really should have joined you..."

"I guess we missed out chance..." He said, the words bitter in his throat.

"Did we?" She asked. She set her towel down on the bed and then moved closer to him, touching her hands to his chest and breathing hard against his neck.

"Natasha..." He breathed, his own hands hovering over her, wanting to touch," What are you doing..?"

"Running with it?" She said back to him. His body so desperately wanted nothing more than to wrap her up in his arms and do just that, but the visions from Wanda had his head knowing better.

"No, Tasha... what are you doing?" Bruce cried, pulling back from her and turning away. He scrubbed a hand down his face and then tried to explain himself." There is no sort of future you could have with me... I can never have this," He gestured around at Clint's house," I can never go anywhere that I would be safe to have this life... I can never have kids-"

"Neither can I," Natasha suddenly cut in. Bruce whipped around to face her and found her staring at the ground in a broken manner he wasn't used to." In the Red Room... They have this initiation ceremony. Where they... sterilize you. Makes things easier, no unwanted pregnancies, and no chance the one thing that might be more important than a mission. Makes everything easier, even killing."

There was a silence that hung over them; there it was. The last secret Natasha had kept from him. Bruce wasn't about to let her think that after everything they had talked about and been through, that this was what made him give up on her; he was pretty sure there wasn't anything in the world that could make him do that. He was half in love with this woman already, and now she was bearing her soul to him, how could he ever turn away from her?

"So, what? We run away?" Bruce offered. Natasha looked up at him, her eyes hopeful.

"Maybe we do."

 **()()()()()()()()()()()()()**

Bruce still wasn't sure what to do with this new possibility when Clint, Steve and Natasha decided to ship out the next morning. Sure, he had been the one to make the realization that Ultron would need Helen Cho to "evolve" into his new body, but that didn't mean he thought Natasha should be in the group to retrieve it. So, just before she left, he pulled her aside and tried to think of the right words to say.

"Don't do anything stupid," The words came tumbling out a lot faster- and harsher -than he had meant them to. Natasha gave him a curious look and crossed her arms. They were standing behind the barn- the only private place Bruce could find on such short notice -and they only had a few moments before Clint would be expecting Natasha to find him.

"Do I ever do stupid things on a mission?" Nat asked, her voice a little hurt.

"No, Tasha! I... Jesus I'm not good at these things..." He said scrubbing a hand down his face and then running the same hand through his curly hair. He looked at Natasha desperately, and then decided he was being too cautious and he didn't have time for it- he needed to take action. So he stepped forward and swiftly wrapped one arm around her waist and put his free hand against her neck, tugging her up for a hasty, hard, kiss. She was surprised at first- mostly because she figured she would be the one to initiate any sort of physical aspect to their relationship -but she soon relaxed, wrapping her arms around his neck and falling into the lip lock.

Bruce tried to put everything he was having such a hard time putting into words, into the kiss he was offering Natasha; but soon he felt that he was losing himself in the feel of her lips on his, her soft hands against the nape of his neck, and the intoxicating scent of just _her_. He moved the hand cupped around her neck and traced down her spine, trying to memorize every curve and divot on her body. Natasha gasped as he traced his thumb over the small of her back, and he took the leap to tangle his tongue around her, tasting her. She gave a surprised and appreciative moan at this movement, and threw herself into the kiss, shoving him backwards against the wall of the barn.

Nat stroked her thumb over the stubble that was forever present on Bruce's cheeks, then did her own exploring, tracing over the defined- if not subtle -muscles along his chest. She chanced sliding her hand up his shirt and brushing her fingertips over his stomach and then around his hip. This did very dangerous things to Bruce's mind and he suddenly grabbed Natasha around the waist, hiking her up so that she had to twist her legs around his hips, before turning them so she was pressed against the barn wall. She gave a soft- and surprised -"Oh!" at this movement, and Bruce took this as an opportunity to trace a line of kissed down from her mouth, to her collarbone, and then back upwards to against her ear.

"I'm sorry... I'm not very good at explaining my feelings..." He whispered against her ear, which made her shiver against him." I was trying to tell you to be careful and to come back to me... We still have to run away together, you know."

"Bruce..." Natasha half-sighed and half-moaned. She turned his face to hers for another- quicker -kiss before leaning her forehead against his." I'll be back okay? How could I ever leave you? You're the only person who knows everything about me and hasn't turned tail and run, hired me, or tried to make me into a personal weapon..."

"I suppose your taste in men isn't so bad then, kid," He said coining the phrase from the night this all started. Natasha chuckled at this and nodded giving him another peck on the lips before wiggling to get down." Go... Clint will wonder where you are..."

"I could always just tell him I was making out with a scientist against his barn," Nat joked as she backed away from him, not ready to turn her back on him yet," He would think I was picking on him... Come to think about it, I don't think any of the guys would actually believe me if I told them the truth."

"We'll just have to show them sometime," Bruce chuckled as Nat gave a final wave before turning to run towards the house- where Clint could be heard calling her name.

 **()()()()()()()()()()()()()**

Bruce was probably the most shook up when Clint returned the Cradle with Ultron's new body half formed inside; he tried not to show it- but from how preoccupied everyone was, it didn't seem very necessary. Instead, he got roped back into one of Tony's plans- one that would either be disastrous or amazing -and then put face-to-face with Captain and their former enemy enhanced twins.

"What is she doing here," Bruce growled towards Wanda. He still hadn't fully forgiven the girl for getting inside his brain and causing him to take out half of a Southern African City.

"I'm sorry," Wanda started to say, but Steve cut her off yelling up at Stark about their programming and the body." You can't finish this, I've seen what happens! I've seen inside his head!"

"Yeah because your word means so much to us right now," Bruce growled in a very unlike him sort of way," Trust me girly, I'm angry enough at you to break your little neck without ever changing a shade!"

Wanda looked a little put off by this as her brother suddenly caused a whirlwind of pulling out all their power plugs. In the struggle that ensued, Bruce grabbed onto Wanda- putting her into a choke hold -before Thor came crashing into the room. Everything after that was a bit of a blur, but in the end they all managed to sit and make a plan; one that involved the twins, despite the bitter feelings still hanging around the air because of what they had done before. They all set out to their designated corners of the tower to get ready for the fight, a big one, and Clint found Bruce in his lab packing a duffle bag full of notes and things he would need when he and Nat left.

"You're going to go away with her, aren't you?" Clint said in a tone that wasn't mad or accusing, but curious. Bruce wasn't sure how to answer this, as he hadn't ever remembered making the conscious decision to run away with Natasha.

"I... I think so," Bruce said softly. He turned towards the other Avenger, the one who was such a big part of Nat's life." Clint, I think I'm falling way too hard for this redhead of ours... I can't get my mind straight enough to even make a choice on what we're going to do."

"Nat has that affect on people she cares about," Clint admitted with a fond tone," She was the one who convinced me to propose to Laura... Even helped me set up the safe house when things got serious with our first pregnancy... She works on a different mindset than everyone else; she doesn't think and process near as much as people think a spy would. Instead, she's all instinct and 'act now, think later'. It works for her, but it's hard when we're trying to catch up."

"That's an accurate description..." Bruce admitted.

"The more important question here," Clint continued, taking a seat on one of the tables," Is do you want to go anywhere she won't be? Or do you want her to go somewhere if you're not going to be with her?"

"No," Bruce said, the answer coming as smooth as one of his Gamma equations. Clint nodded at this, and gave him a soft smile.

"There's your answer, bud," He grinned at the scientist," When we get in there, you're already tasked with getting Nat... I can handle everyone else if you two need to slip away. Just send me a postcard so I know where my adoptive little sister will be?"

"I think we can arrange that, Clint," Bruce smiled. Then, the men shook hands, as if solidifying the bond they had as being important men in Natasha Romanoff's life. This really was a strange day for Bruce Banner...

 **()()()()()()()()()()()()()**

Finding Natasha was easy; almost too easy, but Bruce was sure Ultron wasn't exactly worried about hostages at the moment, since he was intending to kill the entire human race. When he saw her behind the grungy metal cage-door, his heart leapt right into his throat and he needed to touch her.

"Tasha," He breathed as he dropped the gun he'd picked up to break her out, and reached in to cup her cheek with his hand. She gave him a brilliant smile and put her hand over his, on her cheek." You were supposed to come back to me... I thought spies were good at following orders?"

"Sorry boss, the mission was a bit compromised," Natasha smiled up at him," Did you find a key?"

"Better," He said leaning down to grab the gun and then free her. Once out of the cage, Natasha ran to him and threw her arms around his neck." C'mon, we don't have much time... Tony and Thor are keeping him busy topside, but we have to get out of here."

"Out to meet them right?" Bruce shook his head at her." But the jobs not done, Bruce!"

"Tasha, you've done enough," Bruce pleaded with her," And I can't be anywhere near civilians right now... We need to go..."

"So we run away?" Nat asked softly, mimicking his words from the days before.

"We run away," Bruce confirmed. But Natasha knew that couldn't happen.

"I adore you," She said before giving him a hard kiss that made Bruce know something was wrong. When she pulled away he felt himself fall backwards, and the Other Guy take over." But I need the Other Guy right now..."

 **()()()()()()()()()()()()()**

The battle had been long; there were losses on both sides, and ultimately Natasha wasn't sure it was worth it. Maybe, if she was laying on a beach somewhere with Bruce, now, instead of staring at a wall in the new Avenger's Facility, it would be; but she wasn't and he had run away without her. Fury had told her they had a lead, and that he would send her a post card, but this didn't make his leaving hurt any less. Somewhere deep in her heart, she knew it was her fault for putting their job above the feelings in her heart... But it was too hard to bear that fact, just yet. For now, she had a team to run, trainees to teach, and a distraction to keep the ache in her chest at bay.

"They're looking good," Steve admitted as he watched Wanda and Sam spar a bit. On the other side of the room, the Vision and Rhodes were teaching one another different battle tactics, while waiting for their turn in the circle.

"Yeah, they almost look like a team," Natasha said in a flat tone that had become her usual, as of lately. Even Clint's video of little Nathaniel- still a traitor, if only now a cute one -didn't bring a smile or enthusiasm back to her voice.

"They'd do better if you heart was really into teaching them, Nat," Steve said a little harshly.

"Sorry Cap, we can't all bounce back when we figure out the love of our life is unattainable," Natasha snapped back at him. She didn't even realize she had used the "L" word until the silence hung around them like cobwebs. She turned away from Steve and tried to ignore the prickling at the corner of her eyes; she wasn't a crier, never had been and she wasn't going to start for Bruce Banner.

"Nat wait-"

"Finish on your own," Natasha said bitterly," I'm going to visit Clint for awhile. Until I can egt my heart back into things."

 **()()()()()()()()()()()()()**

 **A/N: Jesus H Christ that came out way longer than I'd intended... I also received a bunch more reviews while I was finishing, so your responses are down here, at the end.**

 **I want to apologize for the ending if it feels a bit rushed; the last half of this came out really rushed and quick, but I couldn't find another way to write it- and believe me I've been trying for about two hours now. Also, apologies for some of the paraphrasing of conversations and lines from the movie. I've seen it twice now, but I was still a little fuzzy on some of the exact wording, and then I was changing some things but not others... Ugh it's so much easier when I have the movie to reference on my phone, or I'm writing all new scenes... Struggles of fanfiction!**

 **So reviewers!**

 **CloudCuckooLandHasAQueen: Thank you! I agree that many people- whether it is a post AoU or before it -are not addressing how the SHIELD leak may have gotten to Natasha, and I figured Bruce would have noticed this if they were close.**

 **sandraccdy: (Forgive me my spanish is rusty...)** **Muchas gracias por el comentario! Eres la primera persona que he tenido me da una opinión en español antes! Me alegro de que está emocionado por ello, y espero que mi respuesta en español se ha hecho más fácil para que usted lea ! Siéntase libre de seguir revisando en español , si eso es más fácil para usted!**

 **jenmore43: I intend to write more and thanks for letting me know you liked it!**

 **Allen9Walker: Thank you! You guys don't realize how much even a simple "Good work!" comment does for us authors! Really makes what we do worth it c:**

 **kitkat31: thank you for the enthusiasm! I am super obsessed with this pairing too, like it just fits! And you're right, there aren't many multi-chapter stories, so I'm happy to contribute! Sorry to disappoint on having more chapters before Ultron- I had a sort of set storyline I'm going on -but be prepared! There are going to be about ten chapters if I follow that storyline and they're all looking to be as long as the last two chapters, if not longer.**

 **Oacean1: Thanks for the review! Here's your next chapter ^^**

 **Now I know I said I may do a question or poll here at the end, but I'm already at 11 pages so I think that would be overkill... I'll add it to the beginning of next chapter; so keep an eye out and if you give my favorite/ the best answer, you may be able to help me out with an OC for a later chapter I have ideas for...**

 **I hope you all enjoyed and keep leaving me these awesome reviews!**

 _ **Ciao**_ **!**


	4. The Other Guy & How He Helped Puny Bruce

**A/N: I didn't think I would be typing more this soon- actually my plan was to start up this chapter tomorrow and post a few days after that -but boyfriend got held late at work and we didn't get to go car shopping yesterday; what this all means for you lovely readers is that we have to go shopping for it today, but I have another hour or two to get some story in.**

 **For the reviews thus far- if I get more before I post I will answer them in the end note, again -here are your replies:**

 _ **UltimateGohan42: Thank you for reading! I love this ship, too- obviously since I have this story going...**_

 _ **Thanks for the compliment, I think it's one of the greatest things ever to have someone say my writing is good c:**_

 _ **Black' Victor Cachat: Your reviews make me grin because they're so long and concise! They ring of constructive criticism and not just empty praise. I'm glad that Bruce's watching Natasha didn't come off as weird- actually stalker-ish was the word I was afraid would be used XD -and I'm glad my re-writing and efforts with it made it come out in the way I wanted. The bar scene, to me, was such a lost opportunity for Marvel because- even though it was short -there was so much room to make it a sweeter moment for Brutasha; hence why I made my changes here. And it sort of bugged me that they didn't ever show or hint at what Bruce/Hulk saw in Wanda's red vision; so I gave at least a little hint on what it was, last chapter (but fear not! There will be more insight in this chapter!). And I'm glad you liked the scene with Clint; I actually have no idea where that scene came from... I was all ready to type right into Nat's rescue, and then BOOM! My fingers have decided to type out a heartwarming bro scene between these men. Ended well, though, so yay!**_

 _ **sylvie-winchester: Thank you! Amazing is one of my favorite words, it has such a nice ring to it... Which is a bit random, but I love seeing it in review too XD here's your next chapter!**_

 _ **regi878: I'm so glad you like the chapters, they cause my carpal tunnel some mighty pain- but totally worth it to see all your lovely reviews! And don't worry, I plan to finish this long story- even though my track record with longer ones is not so amazing. I'm too inspired by this coupling to let it fall to the wayside!**_

 **This chapter will focus on Bruce's leaving, a lot of his mindset/POV, and then him returning to Nat, and how they're going to move from there. It may be a little shorter than the past chapters- though I don't plan on doing 11 pages for everything I've been averaging 6-8, this may be 4-6 -but because I'm ahead of schedule, you may get more tonight or tomorrow. I tend to ride out my inspiration waves until I crash, so enjoy while it's here!**

 **Again, I don't own anything from the MCU, but I do own a very cute puppy who is currently trying to eat my typing fingers. Enjoy!**

 **Step By Step**

 **Chapter Four: The Other Guy and How He Helped Puny Bruce**

Bruce woke up in Fiji originally; but being that surrounded by water- in such a small island -felt more like a cage than a reprieve from his thoughts. So, he cashed in a favor to his Science Boyfriend, and ended up in Australia; that had been a little over three months ago. Tony still wasn't happy about Bruce staying away, but he promised to keep it on the down low and especially to keep it from Natasha.

Natasha.

The name sent a spike of pain straight to his chest, and trying to say her name- even mentally -made his throat hurt. It hadn't been his intentions to leave her, that had been all the Other Guy's idea, but Bruce thought maybe it was for the better... The visions that Wanda put in his mind had been dark; he had seen more destruction than he'd thought possible. Everything in the vision held a sickly green hue, and he knew it was meant to let him know that he- or the Other Part of him -had done this. More so, he had had the unfortunate privilege of seeing the Other Guy tear his teammates limb from limb. None had hurt near as much as seeing Him take out Natasha, though; the Green Guy might as well have ripped out his heart and mutilated it.

These images were the reason that he hadn't made his way back to New York- or Natasha -yet; although a small (masochistic) part of him prayed and wished she would wait for him to come around. Maybe they couldn't have what Clint had, maybe they didn't need it. Bruce could confidently say that as long as he knew he would have Natasha around, he didn't need anything else. For now, he was working at a free clinic somewhere south of Airlie Beach and the Great Barrier Reef. Things were quiet, not too many emergencies, and it gave him an opportunity to stash some pretty decent money away- amazingly the people here had issues with some pretty simple biotechnology and that was one of his specialties.

"Doctor?" a nurse was calling him back to the real world, and he tried to shake away his thoughts of the future, seeing as he was living _now_." I know you're on break, but there's a woman here with a prosthetic and I know Dr. Marilynn isn't as good as you are..."

"I'll be right in, bring the patient to room B," He said sliding his glasses on. Awhile later, and he had another happy customer; there was something calming in actually being of some use besides smashing things... Although the back of his mind gave an indignant growl at that." Yeah, yeah, Big Guy... You smash, me puny. I know the drill."

 _No, you stupid. You no see why I make you leave._

That was new; it was so very rare that he got words form the Other Guy- versus general grunts and growls -that Bruce was in mild shock. He pondered on this response for the rest of his work day, and then until he was tucked away in his tiny sea shack- bought from a very eager fisherman, too old to use it anymore. Finally, his curiosity won over.

"Okay, I'll bite," Bruce said in a bitter way," Why is it that _you_ made me leave?"

He could feel the other guy shaking his head, literally feel he disdain oozing from the Greener part of his brain. Still, he waited until the Hulk gave him a sign or an answer; he was the one who had started this entire debate, after all.

 _Puny Bruce unsure before, about Natasha and what he want._

"Yes, I was a little... Indecisive when everything was happening..." Bruce admitted.

 _Puny Bruce still unsure? Still not know what he... what_ we _want?_

"I... Well damn," Bruce said, his brain reeling. When the hell did the Other Guy get smart on something that Bruce wasn't? At face value, these words should have meant nothing to Bruce; but when he sat and pondered them, they meant everything. When Natasha had sprung the idea of them running away on him, he hadn't been sure. He hadn't been one hundred percent positive that it was what he wanted, or what was best for them. Now, being away and having to think of how much he wanted nothing more than to be in the same place as her, he was over a hundred percent sure of what he wanted; what he needed.

And it was Natasha Romanoff.

 **()()()()()()()()()()()()()**

Natasha had planned to stay with Clint for a week or two and cool down; she wasn't exactly mad at Cap- since his words had been honest if not hurtful -but she was mad at herself for letting her emotions get in the way. She was a trained spy, no emotion was more important than the mission; she had been trained this way, her entire being screamed that this was what she knew. But what she knew was slowly changing and it was all because of the dorky scientist she picked up in Calcutta.

So, instead of running off to Clint's, she found herself at Tony's doorstep.

"Well that's surprising," Tony said as Natasha entered the common area and studied her over his coffee." Didn't think you'd be here that quickly."

"What are you talking about?" Nat asked in a tired voice.

"Well, Clint and I were taking bets," Tony admitted," We wondered how long it would take you to break and retreat from the Facility, and whether you'd go to him or come here." Natasha didn't know how she felt having her emotional instability bet on." Honestly, I thought it was a long shot that you would even think to come here... But I thought maybe you wanted to be near his stuff."

"I don't know why I'm here..." Natasha admitted." It just... It felt right coming here and not running away to play family with Clint. I don't think I can be Aunt Nat right now."

"Well, there's room here, always is," Tony said. He waved his arms around like he was Vana White and the tower was the latest letter revealed for the game show. He stood and tossed his mug in the sink of the kitchen area and spoke as he started to leave." Stay as long as you want, don't touch my lab, or mess with my music. Oh and tell your archer friend he owes me twenty bucks."

Natasha couldn't say it was good to be home- not yet since it didn't feel entirely like home, yet -but it was good to have the normalcy of Tony's stupid banter.

 **()()()()()()()()()()()()()**

And suddenly, she was moved into Stark tower, again. It wasn't as easy as the first time around- Bruce had been what made it so easy, after all -but Tony was making things okay. He waited about two weeks before asking about Steve and the new team; then another week to ask her why she had left- "What did the Golden Boy do to set you off?" -and then didn't mind when she didn't give him an answer. The letters started coming about a month into her staying at Stark tower; the first one was short, and a bit messy, but even with the smeared ink and coffee stains, she knew it was form Him.

 _Tasha,_

 _I know you're mad... I just hope that you can wait for me a little bit longer... I know what I want now, but I have to feel like I've earned it. Let me earn you..._

 _I adore you so much,_

 _Bruce (And the Green Guy)_

She wasn't sure how to take this, nor where to send a reply since there was no return address. So, she just tucked it away in a small box she borrowed from Pepper's old room. In the two weeks it took for another letter to arrive, she had read the first one a total of fifteen times; the paper was creased from her folding and unfolding it, and there were smudges at the edges from where she gripped around the stains. The next letter was longer, and gave her a little insight into where he was:

 _Tasha,_

 _When I'm back, we should plan a trip to Japan, you would respect their architecture so much more than I do... I'm more interested in watching the people. They have an amazing population here, and everyone is so different. Did you know they have an asexual and third gender movement here? Basically it means that they have bathrooms for people who either don't denominate to one gender- or any of them -or have no sexual perversions/desires. It's rather interesting from a social and economically point of view._

 _But the quirks of their society aren't what brought me here; Maybe I'll tell you about it when I come home to you... Which means that I'll tell you if you want to know; I can't deny you anything, even now._

 _I still adore you,_

 _Bruce (and the Green Guy too)_

She wasn't sure how to take this one; it was longer and had that same rambling quality that Bruce got when he was nervous. She read this one, and the other, more times than she wanted to admit; it became a night time routine, and often she would fall asleep with one of the letters in her hands. Tony didn't ever ask her what was in the letters- which was odd since he was always the one to deliver them -but he did tease her about his friend playing hard to get.

"He's not playing anything Tony," She said when the sixth letter arrived- this time he was somewhere in Germany and he rambled about the gothic castles and buildings. Natasha touched the signature at the bottom and felt a soft smiling tugging at her lips." He's trying to get here on his own..."

"How do you figure that?" Tony asked shoving coffee her way, across the counter of the kitchen. Nat took a long sip from the cup to think of the right words for her answer.

"His letters have a progression," She said turning the cup around in her hands," The second one was from Japan... then he sent one from Beijing, then Moscow," Mention of her homeland felt a bit bitter on her tongue, but she continued," Next came Greece, and now he's in Germany. It's obvious that he's taking a route back here to New York... Why he's taking such a roundabout way of getting here, I don't know... I'm sure he could have just gotten a flight back or something."

"He's stalling," Tony said downing his cup only to pour a new one," Knowing Banner, he's got himself thinking that there's some grand gesture that he has to make, for you. This may come as a shock to you, Red," Tony said with a serious tone," But your Green Beau is a bit of a romantic dork."

"Dork? Sure," Nat said around a small laugh," Romantic? Not s sure about that one..."

Although... That kiss against the barn had been pretty romantic and spur-of-the-moment... She shook thoughts of that away and re-read her letter again. The familiar loop on his "g's" and "y's" made her shoulders relax and her heart melt just a bit. She touched where his signature- and his now familiar sign off of how he "adored" her -was, and smiled. Maybe there was a romantic in him yet...

 **()()()()()()()()()()()()()**

In the end, it took him another three months to make his way back to New York, and when he made it back, Natasha was away on an urgent mission with Cap and the new Avengers. She would have ignored the call, but it was Wanda who had asked her to come, and she said that Steve had no idea she was asking for backup.

"I know you and ze Captain are fighting," Wanda said in her lilting accent," But we have a lead on his friend, Bucky... I don't think 'e is going to be all there for this mission, Ms. Romanoff... We need someone who can keep their head for this one..."

She had been right, of course; when Natasha arrived at the Avenger's facility the morning after the call from Wanda, Steve was pacing the training room and breaking punching bags every two minutes or so. Natasha leaned against the doorframe of the room for a good ten minutes, just watching Steve and the new recruits watching both of them, until she decided to make herself known.

"Leaders are supposed to stay cool in all situations," Natasha said loud enough that Steve heard her, but not so loud that the phrase echoed within the room. Steve turned to stare at her, and she gave him a half-hearted smile." Did you think I'd let you go on this one alone, Star Spangled Soldier?"

"I'm sorry," Steve said, instead of answering her. She rolled her eyes and pushed off the doorframe to head towards him." No, Nat, seriously... I shouldn't have called you on how you were acting... You took his leaving worst out of-"

"Don't ruin this with an apology we both know you only mean a little bit," Natasha said softly as she faced him." I get over things pretty quickly, plus it's not like I've never said anything that has upset you. We're Avengers; that means we put everything aside for the greater good." Steve nodded, understanding that she didn't need his apology." Let's go get your boyfriend."

The lead was- of course -in Russia. They had Intel from somewhere outside St. Petersburg that there had been a legitimate Winter sighting just the night before. From their records, they knew that Bucky tended to stay in one place for about three days, destroying all trace of whatever Hydra facility he was trying to exterminate; that meant they had little under 24 hours to find him. Meanwhile, Bruce was taking a very quiet and fidgety cab ride from the airport. He arrived at the tower much too early for his nerves to catch up with what his mind was planning. He stared down at the lone tiger lily in his lap- a spur of the moment buy from a vendor just outside of the airport; the dark orange-red hue had reminded him of Natasha's hair, and the sturdy character of the type of flower made him think of just _her_. He was sure she would hate it; it was cliché and so unlike what she liked, but god if it didn't feel right to bring her something more than the "box of treasures" from his travels.

"She's not here," Tony said after he greeted his Science Boyfriend with a hug and some new gadget designs from Japan. Bruce gave him a confused glance, and then looked up towards where the elevator was, as if expecting her to come walking in." She got called away last night by our favorite Scarlet Witch. Some lead on Cap's boyfriend. She said something about being back tonight or tomorrow, but it's the first mission she's taken in the past six months."

"I knew she was staying here," Bruce admitted," From our talks... but I didn't realize that she hadn't been working with the new team..."

"Well she and Cap had a bit of a fall out a few months into training the new recruits," Tony admitted," I won't go into details but she's been here helping me out and sulking a bit for awhile. I'll let her tell you about it when she gets in... She's been sleeping on your floor, does all her work from the computer in your lab. She still over sees some of the training of the newbies- Wanda especially always likes her input. What's in the box?"

Bruce glanced down at the carved wooden box under his arm; it was about the size of a shoebox and stained a deep walnut color. It wasn't much, but it was a peace offering for Natasha, some small treasures that he had picked up on his travels. Knowing she wasn't here made him a little sad, but it also relieved him a bit. This allowed him more time to calm his nerves and practice what it was he even wanted to say to her.

"Well I'm going to go wait in my-"

"Yours and Natasha's," Tony cut in.

"Fine _our_ room," Bruce said, too tired to argue. He watched as Tony's eyes lit up in a child-like glee at this admission." What are you? A fangirl now?"

"I happen to be the biggest supporter for Team Hulk-Widow," Tony said as if this were an official title. Bruce raised an eyebrow at his friend and tried to understand what this even meant." Meaning that I ship this so hard that pirates are jealous."

"You are hopeless," Bruce said before turning to leave Tony to his new designs. Once on the floor where he had resides for the past two years, he could relax a little more. He tossed his duffle bag onto an armchair by the kitchenette he barely used, and then took the box- and his ridiculous flower -over to his private lab. He set the box aside, and then rooted around for something to put the flower in; after a few minutes of fruitless searching, he simply filled a long test tube with water and let the flower sit on the tube stand in front of him." Hopeless... Maybe I'm just as bad as Tony..."

 **()()()()()()()()()()()()()**

Natasha found him asleep in the lab when she returned early the next morning; he had his head laying on his folded arms, and he was facing a tiger lily in a test tube. She plucked the flower from its perch and studied it in a confused curiosity. How was it that he had even known her favorite flower?

"It's pretty stupid to bring you flowers, huh?" Bruce's sleepy voice trailed up from near her elbow. She glanced down at him, and was met with a sleepy pair of chocolate brown eyes." makes you think we're in a relationship and I'm in trouble..."

"I sort of thought we were in... something," Natasha admitted twirling the flower between her fingers. Bruce glanced up at her hopefully as he ran a hand through his messy hair. Natasha hopped up to sit on the table beside where Bruce had been sleeping moments before." And you sort of are in trouble, Bruce..."

"I didn't realize how much I missed having you say my name until just now," Bruce said instead of dealing with her previous comment. Natasha hates that her heart leapt at that statement, but she was getting used to hating her heart these days.

"You left." She said softly." You said we would run away _and then you left_."

She was surprised at the amount of bitter pain that laced her words; she hadn't really allowed herself to admit how much it hurt when he had shut her out of the Quinjet feed. She hadn't allowed herself to deal with the hurt, deal with the emotions that were stirred from within her ice coated heart.

"I know..." Bruce said, his voice broken and edged in pain that mirrored her own." The Other Guy... He was trying to get me to see logic."

"You're going to have to explain how your inner Rage Monster tried to show you reason," Natasha said bitterly.

"He was the one who decided to leave, the one who shut off the feed," Bruce said, grasping at the fact that she was giving him a chance to speak," See, when we were talking about running, I was still only half sure that was the best idea... the Big Guy sort of knew I was being indecisive and he forced me to leave so that I could realize what it was I wanted... That all sounded so much better when we were talking about it in our head."

"The Hulk was trying to give you a reality smack," Natasha said, her voice still a little disbelieving," He was trying to make sure you wanted to... be with me?"

"I already knew that Tasha..." Bruce said sitting straight up, now," I knew I wanted to be with you... I knew how much I wished I could wake up to you every morning, fall asleep with you every night, and spend every moment you'd allow me to be with you... I just wasn't sure if we should run away together right then and there. But being away..." He paused, reaching out to grab Natasha's free hand on the desk," Tasha, I would go anywhere as long as it meant you would be with me."

Natasha wasn't sure how a normal woman would respond in this situation, but she was melting worse than a slab of butter in summertime. She brought his hand up to her cheek and sighed, trying to decide how much more she would make him grovel before letting him know she would forgive him for anything as long as he kept coming home to her.

"We don't have to run away," Natasha said at last," As long as you promise that we stick together... I don't really care where we are."

"Where you go, I go," Bruce assured her," From now until whenever the hell someone offs us."

"It's probably going to be an alien with a mommy-complex," Natasha said with a little touch of irony." I mean we beat the snot out of all the ones that have daddy issues."

"My god I adore you..." Bruce smiled, his face aching from not having a genuine smile in so long. Natasha smiled back at him with the same cheek aching smile.

"I sort of adore you too," She said back. And then Bruce took that as his opportunity to kiss her; and he hated to admit it, but it was almost better than the other two kisses combined. Because this one was a promise; a promise from both of them, this time.

 **()()()()()()()()()()()()()**

"Okay, so what's with the box?" Natasha asked, hours later. They were laying together in his- _their_ he mentally corrected -bed after hours of catching up, kissing, and even some happy silences too. Bruce glanced at the box he had brought into the bedroom about an hour back- on his way from getting them waters in the kitchenette -and smiled.

"It's for you," He admitted, playing with the ends of her red curls and thinking about all the things he had put in there for her." Some little trinkets and treasures that I got from my traveling back here. You may hate some of them, but there are a few things I think you'd actually like."

"Why did you take such a long route back here, Bruce?" Natasha asked, insecurity tingeing her voice a bit." You know you could have just taken a direct plane or boat to get here..."

"Well, my nerves turned to jelly the minute I realized what I wanted," Bruce admitted," All these insecure thoughts went through my brain; 'What if she doesn't wait for me?' 'What if she does but it's only to get mad that I left?' and so on... So, I had to take a bit of a scenic route for my nerves to catch up with my heart."

Natasha didn't respond to this, but she did open the lid of the box and start taking out the objects inside. She studied each object as she took it out, holding some for longer than others, but being tender with each as if they were all precious- which to her they were.

"You got something from everywhere you went?" Natasha asked.

"And then some..." Bruce admitted looking at the eleven objects spread out before her on the bed. Nat waited, letting him sit up so he could explain the gifts." This is from Australia, I found it in a market place north of the city I got settled in. I worked at a free clinic that specialized in prosthetics and patients with lost limbs. I got to do some great research on some of my bio-mechanic ideas, and they paid decent for a free clinic."

Natasha studied the pretty string of beads- all carved from some sort of stone, but some painted deep reds and blues, others had more intricate scenes painted on the smooth surface.

"They look tribal," Natasha said running her fingers down the string of beads.

"Probably are," Bruce admitted," I bought them off of an old aboriginal woman in the market. She said that they told the story of a strong female warrior who slayed a giant sand lizard. It made me think of some of the battles I've seen you in." Nat smiled fondly at this." These are from Japan... Found a shop there that had the best ramen bar I've ever had. The owner said his wife made these on the side- could paint whatever you wanted on them and then did the lacquer and finish within three days."

He reached for the painted chopsticks- bound by a thin red ribbon -and untied them so Natasha could study what he had the woman paint. The base color was a grey-silver tone that shone in a muted but beautiful way; and then all along the thin sticks were spider webs. Finally, at the very top of each stick was her signature- a red hourglass at the smoothed top of each stick.

"They're beautiful," Nat said rubbing the smooth surface of the chopsticks with a smile." They'll be great for if we ever have a nice place out, I can pin my hair up..."

"Or you can just use them as your personal Thai food utensils," Bruce winked at her. She laughed, and Bruce watched the motion with a tender look before turning to the next object." This is also form Japan, not as special as some of the other stories, I found this in a store near Tokyo and it looked like something you would like."

The jade bangle had no intricate carving, but it looked expertly made. She slid it onto her thin wrist and enjoyed the smooth, cool, texture of the jade. The only adornment to the bracelet was a delicate gold clasp to take the jewelry off and on.

"This one is from China," Bruce said moving on as she continued to study the bracelet," There was a smaller village outside of Beijing that I visited every weekend, giving out medical help and such. One woman didn't have any money to pay me, but she made the most beautiful silk scarves and headbands... This one shows the journey of the carp becoming a dragon..."

"The story of how the carp brave enough to swim up river changes into a dragon..." Natasha said with a smile. The head scarf was about three inches wide and made of a white silk that had a mother of pearl shine; and there was, indeed, a story of a red finned carp swimming up river, to turn into a beautiful crimson dragon.

"Exactly..." Bruce said smiling at Natasha as she ran her palm over the smooth fabric. He picked up the next object and hoped that it didn't rub her the wrong way." I know you already know about Russian Nesting Dolls, but these ones were special... While I was in Moscow, I met a man who sold them near a temple. I asked if he could teach me to make them, as well, since his daughter needed some pretty heavy medical help. These were the first ones I carved and painted myself."

Natasha took the doll- about the size of her hand -and twisted it to open it and reveal a slightly smaller doll, then once more she opened this smaller doll to reveal the smallest one- about the size of her thumb. The first doll was obviously the Hulk, in all of his angry green glory; the middle doll was Bruce, grinning sheepishly and painted well; but the final doll looked like her, smiling coyly up at her and much prettier than she was sure she was.

"You, me, and Mr. Green," Bruce smiled at the irony. Nat couldn't hold back the laughter now, and she tucked the dolls back inside one another, holding it on her lap as he moved to the next item." The next few things are pretty easy- and kind of silly... You've got an Evil Eye pendant because we can always keep a bit more evil away. Then the coffee mug from Athens, it's got a Greek cameo of Athena, though and she reminds me of you, a bit... And espresso beans from Rome, to go with the mug, obviously."

Natasha moved each of these items closer to herself and studied them; she still only held onto the nesting dolls and the bracelet, but each item was put lovingly back into the box. She eagerly waited for Bruce to explain the last three items, and he gave a grin at how well things were going.

"The knife is from Germany..." He said handing her the switchblade," Found a leather shop just before I was leaving, and I had him carve in your initials. I figured I owed you one considering how many of your personal blades the Other Guy has made you lose..."

"Comes with the territory," Nat admitted, but tested the feel of the blade in her hand for a long moment that told Bruce she liked it.

"The gloves are from France," He said touching the soft black leather," Found at a another market place, but they're lined with fur, and I know how cold your hands get... And then my favorite."

He leaned down to scoop up the simple leather chord with a smooth stone pendant hanging from it. There were two silver beads on either side of the pendant, and there was a Celtic symbol carved on the smooth white stone.

"This is the sign that they use for love," Bruce admitted," It's two Celtic knot hearts, eternity hearts. In the olden days, people would carve this into rings and necklaces for their betrothed... I thought it would be fitting to let you know that how much I care about you is pretty eternal too."

The items, and their talking, were pretty forgotten after that statement...

 **()()()()()()()()()()()()()**

 **A/N: So... I lied, this was super long too... I got carried away with the gifts Bruce got for Nat and it ended up being like 11 pages again...**

 **I also forgot to put a question up top for my contest. So, I'll put it down here; here's the deal with that though:**

 **I need an OC for about two chapters after this. I need a scientist that works with Helen Cho, maybe works under her, closely? I may pair them with Helen later on- though I don't care if it's a boy or a girl -but the reason I need them is so that Nat has someone to confide in for a plot point I have later on.**

 **The way that you can send me an OC that fits this role, is by answering my question and being either my favorite, or the best answer. So here's my question:**

 **Who do you think is the best lesser known Super Hero?**

 **This can be form Marvel or DC, but I want to know how many obscure heroes we know about- since they tend to be my favorites!**

 **Review your answers, and I'll pick a winner either next chapter or the one after that. Thank you again for all the support, and I hope you guys liked this chapter!**

 _ **Ciao**_ **!**


	5. First Date

**A/N: Hello again dear readers ^_^ I hadn't planned on putting a chapter up tonight, but boyfriend got called into work so it's just me and my puppy for the next seven hours. Which means seven hours to get some writing done before I have to get some sleep for work tomorrow.**

 **I'm loving the response that this story is getting, and I love reading everyone's reviews. Literally, every time my phone goes off with an email, and I see that it's a review, I'm grinning like an idiot. Since they make me so happy, replies first!**

 _ **Cynn3Rose: This review really made me smile; I know the feeling of having exams or something stressful and staying up to read a good fanfic instead. Knowing that my fic has turned into that for someone else is literally one of the best feelings ever. The line about Tony and pirates actually came from a conversation my boyfriend and I had, because he's not a fanboy but I'm a fangirl, so I had to explain shipping to him and he asked me if Pirates were jealous of my antics...**_

 _ **Marx: Glad you love it c: I love reviews!**_

 _ **Sylvie: Thank you so much! It is sort of hard to find anything Brutasha because everyone is up in arms about giving Black Widow a love interest and how it's "sexist" and turning her into nothing more than a "sex symbol in the MCU" or some BS. I don't know, I can't read many of the articles or Tumblr posts because I get mad like halfway through. So I'm glad I can add more to a ship that I adore. (See the pirate quote from last chapter, that's pretty much my feelings too)**_

 _ **UltimateGohan42: Thank you for the compliment! I intend to continue this story for about ten or eleven chapters, so you have that to look forward to!**_

 **Thank you again to everyone who reviewed, if I get anymore before I'm done, I'll be sure to respond at the end Author's Note. Now this chapter is going to focus on Natasha and Bruce going on their first date- something neither of them has done in awhile -and some filler fluff before we jump into some more serious ideas I have for the last bit of this story. This chapter basically exists to make you go "Aww", smile, and enjoy the ship. Also some fun Tony one-liners. That is all.**

 **I don't own anything from the MCU, although I do own a really cool stuffed penguin named Toni. Enjoy!**

 **Step By Step**

 **Chapter Five: First Date**

"How can you be dating if you haven't taken her on a date, yet?" Tony asked as he fiddled with some calculations on the computer screen they shared. Bruce glanced up at his friend and tried to hold back an eye roll that he already knew was inventible." I meant dating is literally defined as the action of going on dates!"

Yup, there was the eye roll.

"Tony, I am rather fond of you," Bruce said rubbing his forehead at the headache that was building from this conversation." But what exactly are we supposed to call Natasha and I, if we're not dating?"

"I've been toying with Brutasha or Natruce," Tony said in a way that made Bruce unsure if he was serious or not," Don't look at me like that; shipping names are becoming very popular! We've come a long way since Bradgelina."

"I don't ever know if you're serious or if you're just seriously screwing with me," Bruce said giving up on the equations before him.

"I take my shipping very seriously, Bruce," Tony said in a stern tone," Especially since I worked so hard to get this one up and going again."

"I'm glad to hear you're so invested in my relationship," Bruce said with another eye roll.

"Well you're welcome, my Not-So-Jolly Green Friend," Tony said with a cocky grin," There's a way to fix your dilemma you know."

"Okay, I'll bite... How?"

"Take Nat on a date, duh."

Bruce did glance up at this and gave his friend a flat look. He had thought about this already, but it wasn't that easy. He had been home for about two months now, and he and Natasha had moved into what was a tentative relationship. They stayed in the same living quarters, and spent most of their free time together. Nat had gone back to training the new Avengers, but only three days a week and for missions where they thought she was needed. (Even though he knew that often Wanda was the only one to admit that she was needed- the men on the team were all convinced they had things under control.) Meanwhile he was working with Tony again, when she was gone, and spending time with her when she was home.

"Tasha doesn't really do-"

"What don't I do?" Of course, she would decide to come home right when they were talking about her.

"Dates," Tony said with a tone that was more suggestive than Bruce could take and he blushed a deep red. Natasha glanced at her boyfriend with a fond smile- pausing her conversation with the former Iron hero to give Bruce a soft kiss hello.

"I like dates just fine," Natasha said hopping up onto the lab table to sit next to where Bruce had been working," It just so happens that I've never had one that wasn't a part of a mission. So I can't really give a track record of if I 'do' them or not."

"Wait so you'd want to go on dates?" Bruce asked, his tone surprised. Nat nodded kicking her legs happily as she watched the realization crawl across his face." So you'd let me take you out on one?"

"Are you asking?" Natasha countered.

"Yes," Bruce assured her with a grin.

"Then let me get changed," Nat said giving him a wink as she headed up towards their room. Bruce felt a dreamy smile filling his face, before curtailing it and turning towards Tony.

"Not a word or I'll tell Pepper you programmed F.R.I.D.A.Y. with some of her voice patterns."

 **()()()()()()()()()()()()()**

"Bruce you know you don't have to go to all this-"

"Tasha it's not trouble..." Bruce said reaching over to tangle her hand around his. Once Natasha had changed- and Bruce had made a few phone calls -they headed out onto the streets of New York. He only hoped that his plans went as he wanted them to, because he was nervous enough about going on his first date in a long time.

"Are you still keeping what we're doing as a secret?"

"That's affirmative, ma'am," Bruce grinned, mimicking Clint's tone usually reserved for his wife. Nat smiled and rolled her eyes but fell into step beside him and watched as all the lights of the city started to come on. Their first stop was easy; Bruce had a friend down at one of the nicer Thai restaurants in town, and he managed to get them the cook's tasting menu- full of some of Natasha's favorite dishes with upscale twists.

"Oh my god that was great," Nat gushed as they walked out of the restaurant a little while later. She hadn't stopped praising the food- and how amazing Bruce was for getting it all set up -since the first course. Bruce was starting to feel better about his surprise for the end of their date, since the meal had gone so well." So how are you going to follow that up, my dorky lover?"

"You'll see," Bruce smiled," Although I'm glad you wore pants and not one of your pretty dresses, for our first date."

Natasha glanced down at her fitted black jeans and grey scoop neck tanktop, paired with her favorite grey flats and the jade bracelet from her box of treasures.

"Hey, always be prepared right?" Nat said, trying to get a read on what Bruce was planning.

"Good motto," Bruce said, not falling for her attempts to read him. She sighed but allowed her boyfriend to lead her further into the busy streets. About thirty minutes later and they came to a large store front without a sign. Bruce pushed into the building without hesitating and Natasha studied what seemed to be relatively modest waiting room. There was a pretty blonde teenager at the desk and she grinned as soon as she saw Bruce and Natasha.

"Professor Banner!" the teen cried running over to shake Bruce's hand enthusiastically." And this must be Tasha, right?"

"Natasha," Nat corrected the tiny girl and tried to figure out what was going on.

"Right, sorry, Professor Banner said you didn't let anyone else shorten your name..." The girl winced," He just refers to you so much it's hard not to do the same! I'm Kimi!"

"Nice to meet you Kimi," Nat said glancing at Bruce who was grinning like a cat who had gotten the pet canary." So can I know why we're here- and where exactly here is?"

"This is TriCity Pet Therapy Center," Kimi explained," We take in all sorts of animals and rehabilitate them to work as service animals or therapy companions! We also do adoptions and such, but that's more of a side business."

"And you know this lovely woman how?" Natasha asked Bruce with a smile twitching at the side of her full red lips.

"Well when I taught some classes at NYU last month, Kimi took my intro to Bio-Mechanics," Bruce explained," I helped her make a couple prosthetics for animals here when she brought up that she wanted to be a vet so she could help delve deeper into the world of Animal Prosthetics."

"And we're here to?"

"Play with puppies!" Kimi answered jumping up and down and clapping." Professor Banner told me you love dogs and I told him that if you guys ever wanted to come and see the animals to call me! The animals here love to be played with and it helps a lot of the rescue animals with the socialization and rehabilitation. We usually have groups that volunteer to do it, or kids who come in and play with the animals, but they always want more! So this is great for them and for you!"

"How did you know I liked dogs?" Natasha asked as Kimi scurried off to set up the "playroom" (her words). Bruce grinned and tucked his hands into his black work pants.

"Clint may have told me that you were partial to their beagle and cried when he passed away," Bruce admitted." I figured it wasn't just the one dog, since you don't really like animals in general."

"You could have been a damn good spy kid," Nat said trying to hide her excitement. Ten minutes later and Kimi let Bruce and Natasha into a room that was a bit bigger than the lab back at Stark tower, and filled with about twenty something odd dogs of all ages and breeds. Natasha was in heaven within the first two minutes; she was soon rolling around with the puppies and cuddling with the older dogs, so very unlike her normally cool self. Bruce just watched, letting her have all the fun until she dragged him over to play fetch with the tube of tennis balls Kimi gave Nat.

"They all really like you Natasha," Kimi smiled after an hour of playing with the dogs," You should come volunteer here if you have free time... We could always use more playtime with these babies..."

"What about the two puppies over there, though?" Nat asked, gesturing towards two pups huddled in the corner of the room. They hadn't come over during any of the fun, and they seemed to be avoiding the entire room of dogs.

"Oh that's a set of pups we just got in," Kimi said sadly," They're a pair of Shiba pups we rescued from a puppy farm... Brother and sister form the looks of it, and they're not adjusting well."

Nat was up and headed over to the puppies before Kimi was finished; Bruce watched her, a sinking feeling starting in his gut. Natasha very slowly sat herself beside the pups and started to pet and love on them. Within the next ten minutes, she had both of them asleep on her lap and she was staring at them with a determined expression on her face. Bruce was scared to know what she was thinking, but he walked over and sat beside her.

"I'm afraid to ask, but go ahead..."

"I have to take them with me," Natasha said, her big blue eyes begging.

"Nat, you know Tony would kill us!"

"But they need me, Bruce!"

"You've already named them, haven't you..."

"Demi and Luka have obviously been through a lot and I'm not-"

"You get to tell Tony, not me," Bruce said walking over to Kimi to tell her what was going on.

 **()()()()()()()()()()()()()**

As it turned out, Tony wasn't an issue.

"Puppies!" Tony cried as soon as Natasha let the tiny fur balls into the lab. Soon the brunette scientist and the two dogs were rolling around the floor and Bruce was scurrying behind him trying to move chairs and stray papers out of their way." Oh this is great! My ship has like furry babies now!"

"And you said he would kill us," Natasha said setting the bag full of dog supplies on a free lab table. She started to remove the bowls, leashes, collars, and other miscellaneous dog things that Kimi had been so happy to offer them.

"What are their names?" Tony asked from his spot on the floor with both puppies.

"My baby girl is Demi," Natasha said gesturing to the pure white pup," And my little man is Luka." She nodded her head at the other pup who had darker tan markings around his neck and paws." They're mine because my wonderful boyfriend took me to a puppy rehab center and I found them."

"You think we can turn the extra track into a puppy playroom?" Tony asked, his eyes big at the possibilities now. Bruce let his hands fall into his hands, listening to Tony and Nat make plans for the dogs. As he wondered what exactly he had gotten himself into, Demi came trotting over to him and hopped onto his lap.

"Hello you little fluff ball," Bruce said petting the girl carefully. She licked his cheeks and Bruce found himself cuddling with her before too long.

"This doesn't mean I think it's a good idea," He insisted when Tony and Nat came to join him with Demi's brother. Neither his friend or his girlfriend called him on his lie.

 **()()()()()()()()()()()()()**

Between their growing relationship, the puppies, and life falling back into place, it wasn't surprising that a year passed by so quickly. Bruce took up more classes at the University, Nat taught some self defense classes there was well, and they grew closer. The new Avengers let Natasha take more and more time away, until soon she knew they would be fine without her, and she hung up her Avenger title to be with her family. It was near the one year mark of their relationship that Nat brought up the idea of finding their own place; an idea Tony was vehemently against.

"What if I need Bruce to help me with my work?"

"We have phones and Skype, Tony..."

"What about my beautiful puppy niece and nephew? They'll miss me!"

"You'll always be able to visit us, and they're getting so big this tower isn't going to hold them much longer..."

"We made them an entire play and exorcise room Nat!"

"Tony..." Bruce jumped in." Look Tasha and I both love you, and we've really loved being here... But we're trying to have a relationship, progress it, and move to a new part of our lives..."

"We found a ranch outside of the city," Natasha jumped back in," It's only two hours from here, a few from the Avenger Facility, and it's got lots of room."

"Secluded in case I have an episode," Bruce added," But close enough that we can still drive to campus for our classes. Or here to see you."

"What about Demi and Luka?" Tony asked." Won't they be sad while you're away?"

"There are chickens and horses on the farm for them to chase," Nat said," And a very high strung uncle who can come and stay with them whenever he wants."

She held out a key ring for him, the simple silver key glinting in the light of the lab. Tony glanced at the key- still pouting some -before snatching it from Natasha and hooking it on his belt.

"I still don't like this."

"I know, but we need it," Natasha said. She gave the pouting man a kiss on the cheek before heading off to gather up the last of their things. Once she was out of the room, Tony turned to Bruce.

"Does this have anything to do with the purchase you and I made last week?" Tony asked. Bruce blushed and fiddled with the velvet box in his pocket, the one he knew Tony was referring to.

"No, Tasha wants this," Bruce said softly," She doesn't know... I mean the last time we-" He scrubbed a hand down his face nervously." When we were going to run away, we both said marriage wasn't in the cards... But now-"

"Now you two have a promise to stay and a better outlook on the future," Tony finished." I can understand that... Just make sure not to wait too long..."

Tony's eyes clouded over in past regret that Bruce knew he had. Trying to take his friend's mind off of that, he headed towards the moderately large box sitting by the door.

"How about your goodbye present?"

"Aren't I supposed to give one to you for leaving?" Tony asked, but he looked curiously at the box with holes on the side.

"Please, we both know you need a present more than Tasha and I," Bruce said," Now open it before she starts getting antsy."

"What are you talking ab- PUPPY!"

"She just came into the rehab center," Bruce said watching Tony hugging the Rottweiler puppy with purple bows tired on her ears." Kimi says she's been having a tougher time than normal settling in and there's also the-"

"She's got a prosthetic leg the poor baby!" Tony cried looking at the pup's front right attachment." Oh papa is going to make you a shiny, new, one that works just as good as a normal leg!" Tony turned towards Bruce with big thankful eyes and looked happier about the entire situation." Does she have a name?"

"Kimi has been calling her Schuyler, but that's only been for about-"

"No it's perfect," Tony said petting the puppy who was now licking his face like a cherry popsicle. Bruce left his best friend to roll around with his new "baby" and joined Natasha down in the vehicle loading floor. She was trying to convince Demi to hop into the back of her Nissan with her brother, but with no luck.

"Your daughter is stubborn," Nat said as Bruce picked the pup up and put her in the car." Sort of like her parents but still."

"She was just waiting on me," Bruce said getting in the passenger seat and watching as Natasha started the car and glanced down at her Navigation screen for directions." You ready for this?"

"Bruce, I was the one who asked you to run away, first," Natasha said pulling out onto the street," I have been ready for this for almost two years now."

Bruce didn't speak much after that, but he was too concerned with the weight of the box in his pocket, and the question he had to ask Natasha soon.

 **()()()()()()()()()()()()()**

 **A/N: A little shorter than the last two chapters, but this was more filler fluff and lead up to the next like three chapters so I'm okay with it.**

 **Also, if you've never seen a Shiba puppy, go google it now. You're welcome.**

 **I got inspired to add some pets to this story mix because my baby German Shepherd pup has been super curious about what the hell I'm typing this week, and I figured Bruce, Nat, and Tony could use some puppy cuteness too. You'll be seeing sporadic appearances from Demi, Luka, and Schuyler throughout the fic.**

 **Thank you again to everyone who reviewed, and be sure to check out my question at the end of last chapter, for a chance to send me an OC idea for later chapters! As always, I hope you enjoyed, and I should get another chapter up Tuesday or Wednesday, depending on work.**

 _ **Ciao**_ **!**


	6. Life Changes

**A/N: Hey guys! So sorry for the late update- I know I'm like two weeks behind on when I said that I would post a new chapter... -but it's been a little stressful because I'm just getting back from a trip. My boyfriend and I just moved out west to Las Vegas, from Florida, about six months ago; now, my brother is graduating high school and I'm went back for two weeks so that I could see it and visit with everyone. That being said, I had a ton of shit to prepare for; I have a puppy that's never been without her mommy, so I have to get her ready for me being gone, not to mention packing, and buying airline tickets, and also I have the added bonus of transporting a cat for my best friend back to Florida.**

 **That in and of itself is a fun story because my BFF has wanted a cat for like two years, and I just happened to find the breed she's been dreaming about, at an adoption event here in Vegas. Hence how I sprung the idea to buy said cat and then fly it with me back to Florida. Stupidest idea ever because this damn cat is high maintenance to the extreme. But she's my BFF and I'd do just about anything for her. Just no more transporting cats; I'm a dog person for a reason.**

 **On to the chapter ahead, and the review replies! Thank you everyone for being patient and waiting, and I love reading the reviews even when I don't have time to hop right on and finish a new chapter for y'all.**

 **ktikat31: hello! I actually kinda stole your idea for the beginning of this chapter, but I'd already been toying with it, your review just made me think on it a bit more. But I give kudos to you for mentioning it and making me actually write it!**

 **Ilovesquidnugget: I think Tony is everyone's spirit animal, at least a little bit. He is definitely one of mine, and I forever love writing him into scenes! Thank you SO MUCH for the kind words c: I have so many authors that mean exactly what you just described, to me. And I have had many a fics where I'm the one cackling like I just blew up China, so to hear that I've become that for someone else is an amazing thing.**

 **sylvie-winchester: Hi again! I love seeing my repeat reviewers! You're like the regulars I used to get when I was a waitress c: I'm glad you enjoyed the fluff, the puppies came out from life wiggling into the fic world.. but I think it was nice to have some fluffy goodness!**

 **veronica2shoes: thanks for the review! I'm glad you love the story, and sorry for the wait on this chapter... See long author's note above.**

 **Black'Victor Cachat: Hello again! I was wondering when your review would come up! I'll reply to both reviews here, for you. For the first one: Thank you for the in depth review, once more, they're my favorite! And channeling myself only a little with Tony's shipping? Nah, try A LOT. I liked your answer to my question (see A/N at bottom further on this) it was thought out and made me nod in agreement. For the second one: Yes, if Kimi ever tells she will end up dazed, confused, and without some vital organs in Mexico. BUT WIDOW FLUFF! Oh god, I totally just imagined the phone scene with Bruce being all 'Hey honey! I'm home, just fed the pups, what's up with you?' and her being like 'Bruce, I'm working here!' Gave me a good chuckle c: And yes, puppy Sky is going to have the most bad ass prosthetic leg ever. As for Pepper, well I haven't decided.. See my Pepperony ship has been smashed by what the fandom calls CaptainxIron Man because my friend has been sending me TonyxSteve fics and now I kinda ship it... And I haven't yet decided if I'm going to write that here, or stick to my normal Pepperony, or just have her as a lesser part of his life. Scene for that to come probably in the next chapter, if not this one if I get hit with inspiration.**

 **Guest: hello! thanks for the review, and the answer to my question! More on that at my end author's note.**

 **GL02: Hello! I know what you mean about Tasha and the puppies, I just thought some fluff- even of it was a bit OOC -would be a nice break up for all the seriousness of getting them back together. And you never have to thank me for writing, but thank YOU for reading and reviewing! As for my sign off- my oh so perky Ciao! -part of it is I think it has a lovely ring to it- as all Italian does -but there is a bit of a story to it. One of my best friends spent a summer in Italy, with family, and when she came back, suddenly she was trying to be so "European" and it was "oh darling!" this and kisses on both cheeks all the time. So, as a sort of jab at her, my boyfriend at the time and I started making fun of her for it, and the Ciao sort of just stuck with me, because it sounded sort of nice. I don't have it in some of my other stories- like my Harry Potter one -because I just started using it as my sign off, again, upon seeing my friend and going over "how mean" we had been to her for "simply taking in the culture she learned"; aka she was whining because she didn't like us picking on her so I called her a pansy but started with my Ciao's again!**

 **ashrinkingviolet: sorry for your troubles! Thank you for waiting!**

 **Guest: Not sure if you're the same guest from above or not, but sorry for the wait! (See large note above...) Here's the chapter though! Hopefully it's worth the waiting!**

 **Now, onto the chapter!**

 **Step-By-Step**

 **Chapter Six: Life Changes**

It was about two weeks into their new living situation before Clint and Tony started badgering about a party. It started small, like jokes and side comments about breaking in the new place, and everyone being so scattered lately; but soon they started combining efforts and annoying Nat.

"Why won't you let me make them stun collars like my Baby has?" Tony was asking Bruce while watching Sky, Demi and Luka roll around in the front yard.

"Because knowing our dogs they'll end up stunning us, for fun," Bruce said only half listening as he graded a stack of chemistry exams from his latest class. Natasha came walking up the driveway a few moments later carrying two buckets. She paused to kiss Bruce and then turned to Tony, her hands still encumbered by the buckets.

"I didn't know you were staying over this weekend," She said setting both buckets- which Tony could now see were filled with hay and milk respectively -on the table.

"Didn't plan on it," Tony admitted," But Sky was getting antsy in the lab this week... I just finished up her surgery, you know, and she needed the fresh air."

The surgery that Tony was talking about, was really just attaching the dog's newest prosthetic to her nerve endings and giving the spoiled pup a better range of motion and control. It was a design that both Bruce and Tony had agonized over for about a week before then going through about ten prototypes. Sky was fine now- after a day of recuperation and lots of love from Tony -but she also seemed to be liking the fresh air and her doggy cousins.

"Well you're welcome, Bruce and I just finished classes this week," Natasha said," I actually think that stack of tests is his last thing to do before we get our summer vacation."

"Sweet, that means we can have our house warming party now!" Tony said rubbing his hands together in a way that usually meant he was already planning things.

"We don't need a party." Natasha and Bruce deadpanned together.

"Hear me out!" Tony begged, his eyes already verging on puppy dog territory." Clint is dying to come see you guys, Cap and the Baby 'vengers have just got back from some recon, and Thor just came in from his off-planet dealings. When else are you going to have us all readily available, again?"

Natasha and Bruce glanced at one another, trying desperately to come up with some sort of excuse, or reason that this was a bad idea, but Tony made a good point. It was very rare for the entire team- new and old -to be free and clear to come together.

"I suppose I could whip up some of my beef stew..." Nat said chewing on her lip thoughtfully.

"And Clint's kids would love the pups..." Bruce chimed in.

"Good!" Tony cried." Because I'm leaving to pick them up from the airport in an hour. The Baby 'vengers are coming in just after that and Thor-"

"Greetings my Green and Red friends! The Man of Iron told me of you furry children!"

"Just got shot down in a bolt of light that scared the piss out of the dogs."

"Tony!"

 **()()()()()()()()()()()()()**

Even if it did feel like a bit of a set up, it was good to see everyone. Natasha made a pot of her beef stew that could have few a small army, and Tony apologized by bringing lots of booze back, along with the Barton family. The radio played whatever shuffled out of Bruce's iPod, ranging from soft rock and opera, all the way to the top 40 chart toppers.

"So, wait, you managed to find him _where_?" Natasha asked, glancing over the rim of her wine glass at Steve as he finished telling them about finally tracking down Bucky.

"Brooklyn," Steven grinned, as if this was an inside joke- which it probably was. The man in question was currently in a renovated S.H.E.I.L.D. center, undergoing some pretty intensive rehab work from how screwed his brain had become. The upside was, that once Cap actually found him, he went willingly and _asked_ for his rehab. It was an uphill battle, but one that Bucky was more than prepared for.

"So, you still haven't asked her, have you?" Tony asked Bruce, across the room from where Nat and Steve were talking. Bruce glanced up at Tony- who was currently mixing some sort of drink for himself and Thor -and then towards where Natasha was sitting.

"No, not yet..." Bruce admitted," I was actually thinking of doing it-"

But they were interrupted by Clint and Thor running over to grab either of Tony's arms and ask him to come debate on their behalf why the new Avengers were worse than the originals. Bruce watched his friend go, swirling the glass of wine he had been nurturing all night and thought over the statement he had been about to tell Tony. It was becoming harder and harder to not just blurt out his question to Natasha, to beg her to let him marry her and call her entirely his. Since they had been out at the farm- almost two whole months now and it had been everything they'd hoped for and more -Bruce was finding it easier and easier to imagine a life here with her; a full _long_ life.

"You seem a million miles away, Doctor," Bruce recognized Wanda's voice drift up from his left side. The girl looked a lot better than the last time he had seen her- though that wasn't saying much since the last time he had seen her she had been broken from her brother's death.

"You're not going to start digging into my mind are you?" Bruce asked, his voice still a little bitter whenever he had to deal with the Scarlet Witch.

"No, I try not to do that now that I'm actually on the good side now..." Wanda smiled softly. She was holding a glass of wine- like himself -but hers seemed barely touched, where as he had been sipping his for awhile now. She was staring across the room where his eyes had been moments before, and then she spoke again." You are thinking about Natasha, no?"

"Well, sort of..." Bruce said, hesitant to talk out his emotional problems with the woman who single handedly sent the Green Guy on a rampage through South Africa.

"I know you do not like me," Wanda said bluntly," And I do not blame you after what I put you through during Ultron's plans. However, I am a girl," Bruce gave her a look as if to say that this was an obvious statement." What I mean by that is, you might be surprised how a female perspective can help more so than a male one, when dealing with female problems."

Damn. She had a point there. Bruce struggled internally for a few minutes before heaving a sigh of relief and setting his wine down on the small bar Clint had built in their living room last month.

"I've been trying to figure out how to ask her to marry me," Bruce admitted. Wanda set her own glass down beside his and nodded for him to continue." But it never seems... right. I want to ask her in a special way, but nothing that's over the top... Something that she deserves."

"You could just ask her tonight," Wanda said, as if reading his thoughts from the entire night." With all her friends and adopted family here, would it not be as special but toned down as you could get?"

"I had been thinking about it," Bruce admitted," But I wasn't sure how she would react to being put on the spot in front of everyone... I don't want to make her mad."

"Why not take her out to the gazebo you two have in the back yard?" Wanda offered after moment of thought." She would still have everyone here, making it comfortable for her, but you would be alone special and personal."

"Wanda, you might just be a genius," Bruce grinned. Wanda gave him a demure wave as he scurried off to find where Nat had gone. A few moments later and he found her in the kitchen trying to find Band-Aids for Tony, who had apparently cut himself while trying to prove he could juggle wine glasses." Hey..."

"Hey you," Natasha said rooting around in the cabinet above their kitchen sink." Have you seen the Band-Aids?"

"No, but I did see Tony pouting about his finger outside," Bruce smiled. He moved behind Natasha, hugging her waist from behind and burying his face into her neck.

"You're all cuddly," Nat said leaning back against his chest all the same," Everything okay? You've been a little out of it since everyone got here, and now you're back to normal."

"We should go sit in the gazebo," Bruce said, ignoring her question," There's so much going on in here and I haven't gotten a moment with you all night..."

Natasha quirked her eyebrow up at him, but didn't argue when he moved them out the kitchen door and then back around the house to said gazebo. The gazebo in question had been one of the smaller reasons that Bruce wanted to buy the house; it was new- a ditch effort by the home owner to spruce up the place and add more curb appeal -but still had that weathered farm look that everything here did. It was about ten feet in diameter all the way around, and had fair lights installed on the inside of the roof which gave it a warm glow even at night.

"This was a good buy," Natasha said, as if reading Bruce's mind about the gazebo being a selling point for him. She sat on one of the benches that ringed the circumference of the gazebo, and he sat beside her." I'm... well I'm glad that we have this place. I never thought that I would want what Clint and Laura had, a safe haven of sorts... But now that we have it, I can't imagine it any other way."

"That's sort of how I feel about my life with you," Bruce said, preparing himself for a speech he had tried multiple times in the mirror." I mean... You know about my past, about Betty and how the Green Guy came about... But even before that, I was so plagued by my father's choices, and the dark stain he had left on my life... I never really let myself think it was okay to plan for the future, want a relatively normal life, or allowed myself to fall in love."

Bruce took a breath and glanced up at Natasha, gauging her reaction to the "L" word; they had said a few times- more now that they were here and starting something that felt like a life together -but it had always been in passing, or with a tinge of joke to it. This was serious; and Nat's face showed as much, but she didn't look displeased.

"But I let myself fall in love with you, Natasha..." Bruce continued. He took both of her hands into his larger ones and knelt down so their eyes were more level." It may have taken one crazy robot, a few months across Europe and a set of puppies to figure it out, but I know that I love you, and I'm allowing myself to imagine our life together... I want to think about what happens after we finally age enough that hero work isn't an option... about growing old and making plans... I want all of that with you. And, it may be a bit out of character for the big, bad, Black Widow, but I think you want that too, Natasha... So I guess the whole point of this rant is for me to ask you-"

"Yes."

"What?" Bruce glanced up from where his eyes had been staring at the wood of the gazebo floor, to meet Natasha's big blue eyes. He couldn't be sure, but he thought he saw traces of tears at the corner of each blue orb, and she looked as surprised as he did at her words.

"I want to marry you, Bruce," Natasha said in a choked whisper," That is what you were gearing up for right? The monologue seemed to be what that meant, but if I was wrong-"

"You weren't," Bruce insisted. He took out the small velvet box- something he carried everywhere, even in the pocket of his plaid pajama pants some nights -and offered it to Natasha with hopeful brown eyes. She glanced down at him and smiled, lifting the lid and blowing out a surprised breath of air." It's something I found in an antique shop in Brooklyn..." Bruce admitted this almost sheepishly and didn't meet her gaze yet." Tony went with me, and helped me look... He thought it was a bit too simple, but I thought it was-"

"Perfect," Natasha finished. She had already taken out the thin rose gold band and set the box aside. The stone was modestly sized, a round cut diamond, and there were delicate carvings on either side of it, adding a vintage quality to the band that made Natasha beam as she slid it on. She reached over and grabbed Bruce's chin, yanking him in for a hard kiss, only for the moment to be ruined, a moment later by Tony's voice.

"She said yes boys!" Tony cried from behind the couple. Both Natasha and Bruce turned to see their party guests spilling out form the back door and onto the lawn in front of the gazebo. As if to make things worse, Tony, Clint, and Thor all ripped open their button-down shirts to display their matching "We Ship Brutasha" tshirts underneath.

"Not too late to just elope," Natasha said while Bruce rubbed his eyes against the oncoming headache." Otherwise we have a whole wedding and reception to enjoy with this lot."

Bruce glanced up to find Wanda staring at him with a big smile- totally ignoring the half drunk Asgardian, scientist and super shooter to her left. She mouthed something to him that he didn't understand, and then her voice brushed against this mind- soft and not intruding but surprising him all the same -saying "You did good Green Man."

 **()()()()()()()()()()()()()**

It was a really fast planned wedding; not that they needed more than two months to get everything set up, but it was quick all the same. Natasha decided that it would be fine to have Laura, Wanda, and Jane as her brides maids- Thor, Tony, and Clint as the respective groomsmen -and just have it in the back of their new home. Fury was officiating everything- something that both felt humorous and fitting at the same time -and the guest list consisted of only a choice few S.H.E.I.L.D. agents and other heroes. It was short and sweet- even with the exaggerated sobs from Tony and Thor about the "happy couple" -and Bruce couldn't have planned it better.

"Our friends are idiots," Natasha said as they all danced, drank, and ate around the gazebo that night. Bruce took the time to study her, instead of answering her question. The dress she picked out was a simple cut with minimal lace and beading at the bodice. It ended just below her knees and suited her much better than what Tony had tried to push onto them from multiple bridal magazines and internet searches. Come to think of it, Tony had been more invested in the wedding planning than either the bride or the groom.

"I'm starting to think Tony is more invested in the relationship than we are," Bruce admitted as he watched Tony fight with the wedding photographer about sizes and certain shots.

"Well he was right about the bridesmaid dresses, thought," Natasha said nodding over at the girls who wore simple, black, one shoulder dresses with red ribbon belts at their waist." Much better than trying to find a red and green dress that didn't look like Christmas gone wrong."

"Yes, but it was also his idea to try and make red and green our colors," Bruce said with a grin. Natasha rolled her eyes, deciding not to push the issue further; Tony had been rather invested on them, but it was probably because of the turmoil in his own life. About two weeks prior, Pepper had moved out of the Tower. Her presence had been getting scarcer and scarcer since the battle with Ultron, but Natasha had never imagined that things would end up as they were now. Left with nothing but a note saying that she wasn't sure she could "do this" anymore was pretty cold; which was saying something since Natasha had been momentarily dumped by a giant rage monster.

Tony had taken it badly, but not near as badly as everyone had assumed he would; most of this was probably due to Sky. The Rottweiler puppy was by Tony's side for everything; whether he was just in the lab or if he had to go to a company event. The pup- who was getting bigger and bigger every day -had taken her job as Iron Man's protector very seriously. Natasha watched, now, as Sky followed behind Tony, who was double checking on every detail of the very austerely detailed wedding. During her observation, Natasha noticed Doctor Cho talking with Thor and Jane.

"I'm going to go say hello to Helen," Natasha said kissing Bruce's cheek softly. He nodded, but was in his own conversation with Wanda- a friendship that had had been a surprise to everyone in their group, given the tensions they'd had before. A moment later, and Natasha made it over to Helen Cho just as Thor and Jane moved towards the dance floor.

"Ah the happy bride!" The doctor said with a big smile." How are you feeling?"

"Good, but I have a really big favor to ask of you..." Natasha said fiddling with the beaded belt of her gown." Consider it my wedding present, if you would."

"Okay, I'll bite..." Helen said giving Natasha weary glance.

"Do you think your cradle would be capable of reconstruction the female reproductive system?"

 **()()()()()()()()()()()()()**

 **A/N: Just gonna leave this pretty little bombshell right there...**

 **Sorry, again, for the wait! I hate leaving you guys hanging for so long, but my trip sort of blew me off course... I will hopefully have the next chapter up but either Wednesday or Friday- just depending on how crazy work is this week. I'm also going to be starting a shorter multi-chapter story that focuses on an OC I'd really like to use.**

 **This is sort of a big step for me because even though I love OC, I rarely use my own, if only because I take such time to plan them, and then end up re-writing their stories about ten times to get them right. This story is going to be a QuicksilverxOC- yeah, I know... I'm jumping on** _ **that**_ **bandwagon too... But hello! Have you seen Aaron Taylor-Johnson? H-O-T smoking! Plus I've been toying with the idea of a less combative super hero and I think they would be paired well together. Even if you guys hate it, I would totally appreciate the reads or reviews on that story once it's up!**

 **Real quick, here are some links for the wedding ring, Nat's dress, and the bridesmaids dresses:**

 **010/0/7358189/il_fullxfull.419443139_**

 **736x / 02 / a6 / 1b /**

 **wp-content / uploads /**

 **Obviously please just take out the spaces and put a dot . Hope you've enjoyed this chapter! I'll be back quicker than next time, promise!**

 _ **Ciao**_ **!**


	7. Biological Changes

**A/N: Hello again! I'm happy to hear that everyone was content with last chapter, and so far no one is ready to maim me over leaving you hanging for three weeks... Although some of you might want to hurt me if I leave you waiting with the end of last chapter for too long.**

 **Which is half of the reason for me getting this up earlier than I'd meant to; the other half is that I'm actually really inspired right now just for writing in general. It comes and goes in spurts, but this week I just feel energized to write.**

 **So, for the few that have reviews so far, here are your replies:**

 **DAIRXOXO: thank you for the kind words c: I like to think my Tony is pretty spot on, if only because I always have such fun writing him! I hope you also have an amazing week, and never thank me for the story, but thank YOU for reading!**

 **Mero: Hello guest friend! I'm glad you like the story, and hopefully this next part will be good!**

 **Ilovesquidnugget: Hello again! I love seeing repeat reviewers, it's like having regulars c: I'm honored that you saved a part of my story for your phone! Aw gosh... I'm blushing thanks to your praise, seriously, I blush at all these really good reviews like "that's not for me... is it?" Here's your update, and thank you for the patience!**

 **Black' Victor Cachat: Hello! I feel like you're an old friend, by now, because I've seen your name so frequently on the review updates I get! I'm glad you liked the proposal! The tshirts- for anyone who liked that scene, not just you -was actually a last minute edit in because I decided that the guys had to have some antics. The shirts may see some cameos in the near future... but no spoilers on that c; I agree that it felt fitting to have Natasha take some charge on the proposal. She's just a take charge kinda gal. It is sad about Pepper, but as of lately I've found myself toying with ideas for what Tony should end up doing/ who he should be with. Pepper is a good candidate, but she always seems so reluctant towards his life style, so I don't know. I may bring her back, I may take a different course, who knows! I don't... yet... P.S: I laughed way too hard at the Mandarin Forces quip... just saying.**

 **Alright! So, this chapter is going to skip a bit to after the honeymoon and then dip into that wonderful cliff hanger I left you with last chapter. We'll see how things go from there! Enjoy!**

 **Step-By-Step**

 **Chapter Seven: Biological Changes**

"Thanks again for staying here while we were gone, Tony," Natasha said as she watched the man pack up the last of his things. She and Bruce had just returned from their honeymoon- a gift from the man before her and a week's trip to a resort in the Caribbean -to relieve Tony of his puppy-sitting duties." It was nice to know that Demi and Luka were in good hands..."

"Well, hopefully one day I'll be babysitting for you guys instead," Tony said with a boyish grin. Natasha didn't correct him, which Bruce noticed, but he figured that not many knew about the secret she had told him so many months ago.

"We appreciate the sentiment," Bruce jumped in, patting Sky on the head as she passed by to sit beside her owner." How have you been holding up? I know the tower must be pretty lonely, now..."

Bruce didn't elaborate, but everyone in the room knew what he meant. Even now, what with Sky being as amazing as she was and the entire team- new and old -rallying behind Tony, he had his moments where he seemed to be thinking hard about something sad.

"I'm okay..." Tony said, and he sounded genuine with that word." It's still hard what with Pepper-"

His words were interrupted by Sky making a low growl at the name.

"Hush, baby girl!" Tony said, but his eyes were amused at how well the dog had picked up on things." Anyway, it was really hard, at first... The wedding helped, and being here helped... But I think I'm going to start having Capsicle bring the newbies over to the Tower more, and start work on a bigger leg for Sky since she's growing so fast. This time, I want to do these things, not do them just for a distraction. So, that has to count for something, right?"

"It does," Natasha said, glancing at Bruce to see her surprise mirrored on his face. That had been a rather mature statement for Tony- the king of immaturity in their group -and both parties were a little surprised." Well, you know you're always welcome here... I mean we decorated a room for you in the basement..."

"You mean we gave him a room and he ended up claiming half the basement," Bruce interjected with a happy grin. It was true, originally the downstairs of the house- a great area that they had renovated so there were four bedrooms, a bathroom, and an open game area -had been half taken over by Tony. Originally, they had told him to take whatever room he wanted, for when he visited; but then the scientist decided to knock down a wall between two rooms and make a room/lab combo, and still take up half the game room with equipment for him and Bruce to toy with. Neither Nat or Bruce minded- since, really, the two story ranch house had more than enough room for everyone in their group, even staying there all at once -but they loved to rib Tony about it, constantly.

"Well, some of those tools take room you know?" Tony teased back." And you should be thanking me, taking that room and making it two really opened up your downstairs floor plan!"

"Don't you have Steve waiting to take you home and talk about shared custody with the new team?" Bruce ribbed his friend as Tony started out the door. Tony flipped Bruce the bird with a good natured grin as he left, leaving both Nat and Bruce chuckling and happy to see Tony back to normal.

"I hate to be the party pooper," Nat said as Bruce started to unpack their things," But I actually have to get into town too... I have an appointment with Helen, she and I were talking about working together on this project she has. She thinks maybe the serum in my blood form the Red Room might do some good for her idea... You gonna be okay for a few hours without me?"

"Of course," Bruce said stopping his unpacking to scoop Nat up into a tight hug. He gave her a soft kiss- his need for PDA and touching Nat had only grown now that they'd had a whole week alone on an island where no one knew them. Natasha returned his kiss- growing more comfortable with all of his touches and acts of showing the world she was his." Just hurry back... You know I miss you."

"I adore you," Natasha said fondly, giving him a last hard kiss before turning to get her coat.

"Not nearly as much as I adore you," Bruce said in return, his lips quirked up in their own secret phrase. Nat made her way out to the barn- where they kept both their cars now as to keep the yard clear for puppy play time -and set off towards the city. She hadn't been lying per say, when she said Helen wanted to work on something... She just hadn't told Bruce that it had been her they would be working on. In the two weeks since their wedding, Natasha had been in to see Helen twice at her New York Office, and had another three Skype calls, four phone calls, and hundreds of emails going over the details of what exactly Natasha was asking.

Natasha thought back to the first office visit, and the conversation that she and Helen had about her question at the wedding reception.

 _******This Is A Flashback!******_

 _"Natasha you realize this has never been done, not even by my technology," Helen said staring at x-rays and CAT scan photos of the damage done by the Red Room." I'm not saying it's impossible... But in theory this is really-"_

 _"Crazy?" Natasha asked. She was laid out on a medical bench, wearing one of those horrible medical gowns that never quite closed in the back and made her remember far too many bad memories._

 _"Well, yeah!" Helen said blowing her black bangs back in thought." Is Bruce pressuring this? Because I'm sure he would have gone over all of these possibilities before-"_

 _"Bruce doesn't know," Natasha admitted. She fiddled with the edge of her gown and avoided Helen's gaze." He hasn't said anything, but I know that he's going to want this one day... And I've never even thought about kids because it's never been a possibility... But then I was going over some of Tony's files for him- organizing his chaos and what not -and I found some of your trial research... The trials that mad Tony notice your work and start funding it to what it is today..."_

 _"What do my trials have to do with-"_

 _"You started by creating small scale cradles that could 3D print replicas of organs," Natasha said in flat tone," It made me wonder if that was possible with the larger cradle, and with an entire system, not just an organ."_

 _"Well yes, in theory it can be done," Helen said in an exasperated tone." Actually, in theory is a rather simple procedure... I mean we'd have to open you up and treat it as a regular surgery, then use the cradle to sew you back together..."_

 _Suddenly the woman wasn't talking to Natasha, but making notes on her x-rays and scan photos. She started murmuring to herself and yanked out a book with pictures of a normal reproductive system. She glanced up at Natasha after a long moment, hope and eagerness in her eyes._

 _"Natasha... This could work..."_

 _"I thought it might," Natasha said a bit smugly._

 _"No, you don't understand..." Helen said excitedly," I mean this is great news for you, but think bigger Nat! If this works, we could end infertility, we could reconstruct cancer victims, we could give people back their lives!"_

 _"You could even create donor matches for those who need transplants," Natasha offered," You know, if you were to make miniature versions of your cradle and get the schematics right... Hell this could put an end to a lot of problems, Helen."_

 _"This is... damn this is amazing," Helen said leaning back in her chair and catching her breath._

 _"So does that mean-"_

 _"I'll do it."_

 _******End Flashback******_

The procedure was going to happen today if everything went as planned; according to Helen and all the research her team had done while Natasha was away, it would only take two hours at the most. She wouldn't need any recuperation time, and she would be a whole woman once more. Natasha was both excited- for what this could mean for Helen and her -and scared; she had never thought of motherhood before, and she had never allowed herself the fantasy of family or babies. But this past week, away with Bruce, and with the surgery approaching, she had.

Natasha had imagined toddlers with red and brown curls, blue and brown eyes; a girl who was as smart as her father, and a boy who was a strong as his mother. It was these images that made Natasha move faster through traffic, quicker up the stairs to Helen's office, and calmed her during the prep for the procedure.

"So, we're going to numb you with a mock epidural," Helen was explaining," Which basically is going to numb you from the waist down for the first hour. Once the initial printing is done, the closing up is only a few moments. The reason we'll keep you for the extra hour is to check that your body takes to the new system and- god forbid -doesn't reject this change..."

"You think it might?" Natasha asked rather calmly.

"No," Helen said honestly," But we've never done anything like this before... So who knows? Bodies reject organs all the time. Who's to say that your body won't reject an artificially printed reproductive system?"

"Always the realist, you are, Helen," Natasha joked as one of Helen's assistants started poking her with the needle for her "mock epidural". It was going to be a very long two hours...

 **()()()()()()()()()()()()()**

In the end, the surgery was the easiest part about the entire endeavor. The entire hour of agonizing over what could or would happen, became worth it to see the look of pure joy and hope on Helen's face when everything was perfect. Natasha was almost more happy for what this meant for Helen's work, than she was for what it meant for her and Bruce. But, of course, it did mean something to her and Bruce. Something that narrowed down into two pink lines four months later.

She hadn't told him what she had done; not because she didn't want to, but because she wasn't sure that it had even properly worked. She, instead, decided to tempt fate a bit and just go about their lives as they had before. The only noticeable change in her body, had been the periods she got; because of the reconstruction, she had been getting regular periods since the surgery. Given this fact, she found it a bit odd when she didn't have a period three months after having is- on time and regular -for the months prior. She shrugged this off as her body getting used to the new system and getting her flow regulated, up until she started getting sick around certain foods.

Suddenly peanut butter made her gag, even if it was only traces of it, or if Bruce had eaten a sandwich of it for lunch; similarly raw onions made her run for the bathroom and any sort of chicken made her sick on the spot. She began to think maybe something had gone wrong- or right if her suspicions had been correct -when in a last ditch effort, she asked Wanda to go with her to the grocery store during one of their nights out. Wanda had become a big part of Natasha and Bruce's life- taking them as her adopted parents of sorts with everything that happened -and the girls had made every other Friday their night. On this particular night, Natasha had finally broken down and told Wanda what she had done, after the movie they went to made her cry; real tears and everything.

"So you have not yet told Papa Bruce?" Wanda asked with wide, surprised eyes as she and Natasha tried to decide what test was the best.

"I... I wasn't even sure it had worked until I got my first period in twenty plus years..." Natasha admitted softly." And by then it was still a fluke this could even happen! God damn it! Why in the hell do they make so many of these forsaken things! Why can't we just have one and be done?"

"Just grab two of these," Wanda said pointing at one on the shelf in front of Nat. The box advertised one of the most accurate results on the market, and Natasha saw this as good a reason as any to buy it; otherwise the girls would be here all night and then spend a fortune on one of every test there was. They paid for the tests- an awkward encounter in and of itself -and then went to the nearest gas station to get it over with- Natasha's words, not Wanda's." It says you have to pee on the tips, and then wait for three minutes..."

Natasha made a face she was sure that mirrored the disgusted one on Wanda's face, but took the two white sticks and did as she was told. Three minutes and much complaining from Natasha later, and they were faced with identical tests: both sporting two bright pink lines.

"Mama Tattie..." Wanda said in a soft and careful tone. Natasha didn't answer the endearment that usual made her happy, but instead she tossed both tests into the garbage, then covered them in paper towels for good measure.

"We don't talk about this until I talk to Bruce..."

 **()()()()()()()()()()()()()**

Talking to Bruce became Natasha's least favorite thing in the three minutes it took for those white sticks to turn her entire world upside down. Within the next month, she was sick almost every morning, and craving bacon at just about any hour. She had tried on three different instances to talk to her husband about everything, and failed all three times. She had even enlisted the help of Wanda and Helen- who had been informed about an hour after Wanda and Natasha took the tests -but nothing seemed like the right way to do things. Now, two months into her newfound pregnancy and a month into agonizing over this, she was sitting in Helen's office, with Wanda, waiting for the test results- to determine if she was healthy and indeed pregnant -to come back.

"Well, old Green Bean knocked you up," Helen said as she set the labs in front of Natasha." No more avoiding the topic, you're two and a half months pregnant. You're going to be showing soon, and he'll be noticing something is up."

Even hours later, as she made dinner for her and Bruce, she was thinking just how screwed she was if she didn't get the courage to tell him soon. She gagged a little as she flipped his burger onto a bun with mustard, lettuce and onions, before shoving another piece of bacon in her mouth- meant for her burger but she'd made a whole plate for a reason.

"You okay?" Bruce asked as he came over to get his plate and hand her some fries that he had just pulled from their deep fryer." You look a little pale, and you look like you might gag..."

"Just the onions," Natasha said honestly," They're really strong and it's not a pleasant-"

"You usually like onions, Nat," Bruce said, but didn't push. They ate while watching an old kung-fu move they both loved, but Natasha found herself getting lost in her own thoughts rather than the scenes and bad choreography, per usual. She tried to think of different ways she could tell Bruce what was going on, but all of them fell flat after she dropped the bomb about her getting a whole new reproductive system and forgetting to mention it to him.

"Have you ever thought about kids?" Natasha asked suddenly, during one of their favorite fight scenes. Bruce choked a little on the french-fry he had just tossed in his mouth, but composed himself quickly and turned to stare at Nat.

"Um, a bit?" Bruce admitted, not meeting her eyes." I mean, I'd thought about what it could mean for us to adopt later on... Or maybe have a surrogate... I'm sure Wanda or Maria would offer if we asked... But it would be tricky for either of them so I... I don't really know, Tash... Why?"

"Well," Natasha said, too far into this topic to turn back now," Helen and I have been talking."

"Yeah, you guys have been working on her new project?" Bruce asked, curious but not prying. Natasha nodded and took a breath to calm herself.

"Yes... She has been working on her cradle but on a much smaller level," Natasha said, easing into the topic as best as she could.

"What? Like doing body parts? Cadavers maybe?"

"More like organs and bodily systems," Natasha said slowly." And I volunteered to be her first patient... See if everything worked out..."

"Well that sounds great but really dangerous!" Bruce said, concerned for his wife, now." What did she want to-"

"I wanted her to reconstruct my reproductive system," Natasha blurted out. " And she did."

"Tasha! That was extremely dangerous!" Bruce cried in shock." I mean, how are we to even know if the surgery would work? Or if the system would then be in working-"

"It is," Natasha said in a voice that felt much higher than her normal one." Because I'm pregnant, Bruce..."

There was a loud thump followed by Natasha giving a sigh and pulling out her phone.

"Tony, you're gonna need to drive up, tonight... Bruce just fainted and I'm currently carrying precious cargo, so I can't lift him."

 **()()()()()()()()()()()()()**

"He fainted because you told him you were-"

"Pregnant, yes, pass the vanilla you ice cream hog!"

"Nat, ice cream and bacon should not work... Why did you make me try it so now I know it's amazing?"

"I'm pregnant, you're just stupid."

"That still sounds weird, Nat..." Tony said wincing as he took another bite of the ice cream-bacon mix he and Natasha had been sharing for the past hour while they waited for Bruce to come to." I mean, good for Big Guy for knocking you up, but how-"

"We went over this..." Natasha sighed," Red Room, really bad initiation, Helen and her genius machine, then lots of birds and bees, Tony."

"You're crazy you know that?" Tony said watching as Bruce tried to rub the grogginess out of his eyes." But I still get to be godfather, just saying."

"I was thinking you and Wanda," Natasha said thoughtfully," But Clint would be a great godmother too..."

"You're terrible," Bruce said in a flat voice, but he was awake and obviously more with the situation, at hand." Did that all really happen?"

"If you meant Nat having a bun in the oven yes," Tony said," If you meant me dropping you halfway up the stairs, then no. Totally didn't happen, and you have no proof."

"I'll save that for a later date," Bruce said softly. He turned back to Nat, watching her and glancing down at her stomach as if she had just started showing." Suddenly a lot of things make sense..."

"Like the gagging at your lunch and crying during our movie nights?" Natasha asked softly. Bruce nodded and reached out for her hand." You're not mad at me, are you?"

"I think I'm too happy to be mad..."

There was a long silence, one that made Natasha blush and smile widely at her husband, allowing herself to think about the next couple of months and then years.

"I sort of like the sound of Tony Banner, you know?"

"We're not naming our child after you, Tony."

"Killjoy."

 **()()()()()()()()()()()()()**

 **A/N: So, be sure to read this last note, because it will give you guys some insight on when to look for next update, and a chance to help me with the story!**

 **I won't be updating for about a week, maybe a week and a half, because I'm going to put a poll up on my profile. I want everyone to go and take a vote, and the option with the most votes will be what happens at the beginning of next chapter!**

 **So the options range from just a boy or a girl, to twins and what gender twins. Let me know what you guys think! If I get to the end of the week, and not enough people have voted, I'll wait longer. Or, if I get a lot of answers really quickly, I'll update sooner.**

 **So really it's in everyone's best interest to go and vote now, because if I get the votes I want you get another chapter! Hopefully you guys liked this, because I LOVED typing this chapter, it came really easy and was fun to write.**

 **As always, please leave me a review, and let me know what you think! And this time, go vote! Vote now on the poll so that you guys get a quick update! Go, go, go!**

 _ **Ciao**_ **!**


	8. The Sound of Little Feet

**A/N:**

 **IMPORTANT PLEASE READ THIS NOTE!**

 **Hello! I know, I know... I'm horrible and I made you guys wait again... I didn't mean to, really! There have been some big things happening in life, right now; some bad, some okay, and some good. I won't take long to go over them but here's the CliffNotes Version:**

 **1) My grandfather has abdominal cancer and he's been yo-yoing between doing really well and doing really... not. So I'm sort of on call for if I'll be flying home, to Florida, or waiting until October- which was my original plan to visit again.**

 **2) Boyfriend and I were forced to move out of his sister's place- where we'd been staying until we could afford down payment on our house, or have the start up for a rental. The reasons behind this forced eviction are stupid, would take more than a few sentences to explain, and also it's mostly because his sister is a self righteous bitch who will probably grow to be old and alone except for her cat- who is also a bitch because she picks on my dog. A lot. (Also, I wouldn't normally be this mean about an individual, except, she decided about two seconds into meeting me that she hated me and would enjoy making my life hard since I'm dating her brother... High School BS, really.)**

 **3) My hours have increased at work because the two younger kids I nanny for have started school, and instead of signing them up for after school care, the family asked if I would be interested in a few more hours a week. I obviously said yes because money and also these kids are pretty awesome.**

 **That being said, I also have a general announcement dealing with my stories. First of all, this will either be the FINAL chapter of Step-By-Step, or the next to last one. I may still do an epilogue. But I basically I went back and reworked what I wanted to do with this story- since a lot has changed since my initial plan -and I realized I only really need another chapter or so.**

 **My PietroxOC fic will also only be about two or three more chapters, due to re-workings, as well. I'm also damning myself because I've just planned out a new Captain America fic, with a new OC... Which is unheard of from me, since I really shy away from using them.**

 **As always, I hope you'll read those other fics, or at least take a peek at them, and I hope you don't mind the wait on this update. Normally I would reply to the reviews, but I'm eager to get back to the story, so: You're all awesome, and I adore you all c;**

 **Step By Step**

 **Chapter Eight: The Sound of Little Feet**

"Why did I agree upon half the world coming to our ultrasound?" Natasha asked as Bruce played with her fingers and the other Avengers- new and old -settled in the large exam room.

"Because in a way this is our family," Bruce reminded her.

"Are we sure that this lady, that Helen is sending to check on Nat, is properly certified?" Tony asked, already observing all the machinery in the room.

"No, Tony," Bruce grumbled," Helen-Freaking-Cho is going to hire a sketchy no name doctor to look over not only the world's number one super spy, and wife of the raging green scientist, but also her pride and joy in new cradle printing discovery, and best friend of a God, a Super Soldier, and a Millionaire Playboy. Not to mention the whole freaking Red Witch God Mother, and equally as scary Iron Patriot and Falcon."

"So you see why I'm stressing?" Tony clarified, starting to take the panel off of one of the three ultrasound machines.

"Tony Stark, I would greatly appreciate if you stopped taking apart my equipment," a soft and lilting female voice said from the doorway. Everyone turned towards the sound and were met with the sight of a slight woman holding a clipboard and giving Tony nothing but a swift glance. The woman was small- only about five foot three -with short black hair, cut in a fly-away bob, with slightly tanned skin and almond shaped eyes that hinted at Asian parentage. When she glanced up at the group, everyone was a bit taken back by their shocking shade of purple that verged on deep blue.

"And you are, who?" Tony asked, dropping the machine, for now, and the only one not surprised by the woman's appearance.

"You may call me Doctor van Dyne," The woman said, still reading her chart, but slowing moving towards Natasha and Bruce." Now, unless you're the pregnant one, here, I'm going to have to ask you to move." She glanced back up at Tony, her plum-colored eyes sharp now." Now."

Tony gave a disgruntled huff, but moved to the side. Natasha was studying the slight woman, now, and trying not to laugh at the same time.

"van Dyne.." Bruce said thoughtfully." Not Janet van Dyne?"

"The one and only," Doctor van Dyne said, while starting to set up one of her machines." Helen and I are working together on a project... A rather new and secret one for Fury. She had to go to a meeting- which is why she can't be here for this check up -and asked if I would step in..."

"You knew Betty, when she was in college, didn't you?" Bruce asked, his voice careful. Janet nodded, choosing not to turn towards him for that answer." She... She told me a bit about you."

"She would have," Janet said, her voice a bit bitter," Anyway, all water under the bridge. How about we take a peek at this-"

"Wait a second," Tony cut in," You're examining my god child, there. I want to know your-"

"Tony Stark you are not asking for credentials while I am splayed out, half naked, and freezing on a exam table," Natasha cut in. tony was very quiet after that- having been on the receiving end of Na's pregnant fury these past few months. After the night that Nat told Bruce- and then Tony had to come over and help lift the downed scientist -Tony hadn't spent much time away from the couple. He used the excuse that he wanted to be sure Nat had help in case Bruce had another fainting episode, but everyone knew he was about as excited about the "Baby Brutasha" as the couple was.

"Alright, so you look all healthy," Janet said, giving Natasha a quick once over," Nurse told me that you've gained another four pounds, which is good since we're entering the halfway point of your fifth month. Any concerns?"

"No not-"

"Her ankles are still swelling quite a bit," Bruce cut off Natasha's attempts at playing tough," Even though we've had her laying down more."

"We've also been trying that coconut cream, but it makes her skin a bit irritated," Tony said, taking a step back towards the couple and Janet.

"Well, the cream I can fix, now," Doctor van Dyne said rolling her chair towards one of the cabinets in the room," You probably have a slight allergy to the coconut, or your body is reacting to it because of the pregnancy- it's not unheard of to develop temporary or new allergies during child bearing. I have a soy based cream that should do the trick." She handed a small jar to Tony, who immediately started reading the label." As for your ankles, it may just be that the baby is a bit bigger than we had first thought. Puts more strain on said ankles... I'll know more once we get a picture of the little jellybean."

Rolling back towards Natasha- who already had her swollen stomach exposed -she started up the ultrasound and began putting on the cool gel. A few moments later, and there was a steady beat that filled the now silent room.

"Good heartbeat," Tony said, Janet nodding at him in approval. The other Avengers all has either amazed or awed expressions on their faces.

"I have never witnessed the sound of a child's heart, while still in the womb," Thor said, nearing Natasha and Bruce, hesitantly," On Asgard, we simply have meditations and medics deal with the women... this is most pleasant in comparison."

"About to get more pleasant, Thunder Head," Janet said, moving her ultrasound wand further down Natasha's stomach. the room filled, once more with a steady thrum, but this one was lower, a different sound entirely." Because I just figured out why Natasha has so much strain on her ankles."

"Twins!" Tony cried, clapping his hand as if he was a kid being handed a Christmas present early. Bruce looked as if he was going to faint again, and Natasha's heart rate monitor was going nuts.

"Do you want to know the genders?" Janet asked, either oblivious to the parents' reactions, or ignoring it for good measure. Nat and Bruce didn't give a definite answer, but Tony was nodding and hopping from foot to foot." Well, this little one on the left is definitely a girl," She moved the wand up to show one of the babies." And I think, if I can get back around to this other jellybean... Yup! That there is a growing baby boy."

"A girl," Bruce said, his worry suddenly melting away at the same time Nat's did at hearing the genders." Oh... Tasha I hope she has your eyes."

"I want her to have your hair, though..." Natasha said wistfully, reaching up to run her hand through the unruly curls," And she has to be smart... They both should be, but I want a strong brother and a smart sister... She deserves to be protected, not have to grow up strong, like me..."

"Your hair, but brown eyes," Bruce continued for her," And freckles, from me... That would make a beautiful boy, or girl..."

"We have officially lost them," Steve commented, but smiled wistfully.

"Iz eet not a good thing, though?" Wanda asked, nudging the Super Soldier with her elbow," My brother and I were twins, and we always had someone..."

Her eyes didn't grow nearly as sad as they would have months ago, and her words rang true. The room fell silent, all thinking about the babies to come, and their bright futures.

"I still think Tony Banner has-"

"NO!" Everyone in the room cried.

 **()()()()()()()()()()()()()**

"Why do people have to give paint such weird names?" Natasha asked as Bruce began taking lids off the paint samples he and Tony had gone to get. It was a month after finding out the gender of the babies, and she was sat happily in a rocking chair- Clint's handiwork and sent to the house about a week back -while the guys tried to decide how to decorate the nursery.

"Probably makes it more fun to buy and sell," Tony commented," I mean who wants to buy a dull green, when they could buy-" he paused to read a label," Mossy Enchantment."

"Oh yeah, give me some of that topiary enchantment," Bruce said rolling his eyes. Natasha gave a smile, rubbing her swollen stomach as the boys began painting small areas of the wall in front of her chair. The room they had picked for the nursery was two doors down from their own master suite, with only the office/ library separating them.

"So, what two colors do we like?" Tony asked, gesturing at the ten or so the men had made small painted areas of. Natasha observed the color choices, and finally narrowed it down to a deep purple- "Princess Plum" Tony read -and a soft but stormy grey- "Eye of the Storm", if Tony wasn't making that up." Well, at least they'll go well together..."

"What, you think the bright yellow and moss green combo was better?" Bruce asked, smirking as Tony began to pencil out stripe lines for the painting tape.

"First of all, it's Custard Sunday and Mossy Enchantment, you uncultured swine," Tony said gesturing at Bruce with his pencil," And no. I was put off that she didn't even look at the lovely gold and red tones I made."

"We're not making a shrine to Iron Man, Tony," Natasha sighed, giving the man a soft smile. The rich scientist grumbled at this comment, but happily finished his work with pencil and tape about twenty minutes later.

"Alright, preggers, out! Fumes bad for babies," Tony said giving Natasha a shooing motion with his hands. Natasha struggled to right herself- but ended up needing both men to take one of her arms and lift up.

"I don't understand how Clint's wife did this three times," Nat grumbled. Then, turning to Bruce she gave him a grim glance," You get one birth, buck-o. That's it. I'm half tempted to have Helen take the damn reproductive system back..."

"You'll change your tune once they're here," Bruce grinned. Natasha waved them both off and made her way to their bedroom, a few doors down. She settled herself on the bed- propped up with lots of pillows and munching from the bowl of potato chips that was her latest craving, and constantly by her bed. She took out one of the ten baby name books that Wanda and Tony had bought on their last run to town for baby supplies. They had also bought both the cribs, changing table, a stock of clothes, and other miscellaneous items for the nursery, but it was the library of baby name books that Natasha cared about. She had made her way through the B's in both boys and girls, and nothing had jumped out at her yet. After skimming through the C's and D's of both genders, with no luck, she grabbed a new book entirely and opened it at random.

"Atticus..." Natasha said softly, reading the name aloud. It was the first name she didn't hate; actually she liked it quite a bit. She tried this tactic again, landing in the girl section this time." Odette. Ugh, not even if I was drugged up and Tony paid me." Three more failed attempts, and she landed on one she truly liked." Harper..."

"I like that one, too," Bruce said from the doorway. He moved to sit by her on their large bed, and plucked the book from her hands. He glanced at the name Atticus- which she had highlighted in green -and nodded." Another good one... I always was a sucker for _To Kill A Mockingbird_... "

"What would we do for middle names?" Natasha asked, leaning her head against Bruce's shoulder and watching him thumb through the book.

"Well, you'll say Tony is getting to me... But I like Antonia for a girl's middle name..." Bruce said testing the word on his tongue." Harper Antonia Banner..."

"It doesn't sound terrible," Nat admitted. She glanced down at the book in his hand and watched as he flipped past the J's." Atticus Jackson Banner."

"AJ for short?"

"I like it..."

"If neither of you are going to say it I will; I totally got one of the kids named after me!"

"Bruce, I may kill the kids' god father before they're born..."

 **()()()()()()()()()()()()()**

Once the nursery was finished, it became Natasha's favorite place to just sit and relax- which, eight months into this pregnancy, was about all she could do without help or the probability of hurting herself. Tony and Bruce had done a great job of decorating the room- better than even Natasha could have probably done, herself. The walls were striped in the deep purple and velvety grey, on two of the walls, while the other two were painted solidly with one of the colors. The two cribs were made of a lightly stained beech wood and worked well with the weathered wood floors of the old farm house. Natasha had insisted on white bedding for both cribs- refusing Tony when he tried to buy matching purple and grey pillows, but allowing the god father to fill each crib up with different stuffed toys -and gauzy curtains to match. The changing table matched the wood of the cribs, and had a soft white pillow top for when the kids needs changing. One crib was set up against the purple wall- for Harper -and the other against the grey- for Atticus -with the changing table just to the side of the large window in the room. The only other furniture in the room was a low bookshelf- filled already with lots of picture books and kids stories -as well as the rocking chair form Clint, and a low end table with a lamp and baby monitor on it.

Bruce had wanted to give each crib a quote or decal, above where the cribs would go, but Natasha wanted to wait until the babies were here. She wanted the quotes to fit each child for their own personalities, not what they hoped the kids would become. Tony's stuffed toys ranged from a green scaly dragon- paired with a soft grey teddy bear, a stuffed knight, stuffed replica of Iron Man and Hulk, and a jellyfish -for Atticus, to a mother of pearl colored angel fish- paired with a purple dog, a stuffed Black Widow replica, a giraffe with pink spots, a robin with a bright red chest, and Tigger from Winnie the Pooh -for Harper. The room had a soft feeling to it, as if it already knew what was to come and invade it's area. Natasha found herself imagining what it would change into, over the years; a toddler's mess with two beds and a toy chest, then bunk beds and screaming eight year olds, perhaps more books, until finally it became only one of the kids room, and changed entirely. Natasha spent lots of time thinking of these things, and more; but mostly what would happen when the babies did arrive, and if she was truly ready for them.

In the end, she didn't have a choice- not that any mother truly does -and they wanted to come during one of the worst storms, late that summer. She was standing in the kitchen, asking Tony to reach for one of her hidden bags of potato chips, when a sharp pain started across her abdomen. The first few twinges didn't mean anything- she had been getting faux contractions for the last few weeks of her ninth month in pregnancy -but when one long pain ripped from the top of her stomach to between her legs, she had to grip the counter. At the same moment she opened her mouth to tell Tony something was wrong, Bruce came in from the backyard, soaked from the downpour.

"Bad night to be out there," He said, not yet noticing Nat," the roads are a muddy mess and it's coming down in buckets!"

"Tony?" Nat said in a soft voice. Both men immediately perked up at the odd sound of her voice, but the Iron hero nodded at her to continue." Can your suit fly in this weather?"

"Probably, I'd only have to worry about the wind force a little..." Tony said, already thinking out wind calculations in his head." Why?"

"Because I just had a contraction. A real one. Kids are ready to come home..."

"Shit."

"Bruce, don't you dare faint again!"

Natasha tried not to laugh at the responses from both men, but the idea left her as soon as another contraction started up in her lower abdomen.

"As amusing as that was, we need Helen, or Janet," She said in that same soft tone," Now."

Tony had never called his suit forward quite that quickly. He set off through the kitchen door- which Bruce flung open just in time -and Natasha let out a stiff sigh through her teeth.

"Shit. I mean, we need to get you to the room!" Bruce said, all logic gone in light of his children about to be born." Hot water! And rags... And, and, your bag! In case we get to leave for the hospital-"

"Bruce."

"We should probably call everyone, too... Wanda wants to be here!"

"Bruce."

"Steve will kill me if he misses it; he's been asking to see if the kids would turn out green or normal colored for weeks now!"

"Bruce Banner if you don't shut up and get me to the couch I will knock you green!"

So, of course, Bruce carried his very pregnant wife to the couch and held her hand until Tony appeared with Helen and Wanda in tow.

"She was visiting Helen for some research," Tony explained, when Bruce gave Wanda an odd look." Something about looking into the files of the other tests Strucker did..."

"No time," Helen was saying, dragging out tools that she had shoved into a suitcase sized bag when Tony came to get her." It looks like she's about five centimeters already, and something tells me she wants her drugs now."

"Yes." Natasha said through gritted teeth. the spy had an amazing pain tolerance, but its limits were being pushed now. Helen set to work getting Natasha set up, and momentarily shooed everyone into the kitchen. Twenty minutes and a change of clothes later, and Natasha was propped up on the floor before Helen Cho, wearing a cloth hospital gown and looking less pained than before." Okay, Natasha... How close are the contractions?"

"About every forty minutes," Natasha said softly, her head leaned back against the couch. Helen nodded and then turned to the three spectators.

"She's going to have to wait until we hit ten centimeters, and the contractions are about a minute apart," She reported," This could take hours, or only a few minutes. Everyone is different, but for now we need some ice, water, and maybe a book for someone to read and distract her."

The three heroes began to scramble at these new orders, and ended up in a very cartoonish collision that left Natasha laughing breathlessly. Helen started barking out more orders- more detailed this time -and soon everything was set up. They sat together, as the storm raged on outside, for three more hours before Natasha's contractions started coming close enough together, and she was dilated enough. The birth itself, while a bit more intricate with two babies, went by smoother than anyone had hoped for; before anyone was ready, there were two squirming babies being cleaned and studied with awestruck eyes.

"They're... well damn they're here," Tony said, glancing down at little Harper as Helen wiped her off with a warm cloth. Wanda was assisting, by doing the same to Atticus, and Tony wasn't sure where to keep his gaze." Nat, they're both kind of perfect..."

"Tony, don't talk to me for like another hour," Natasha said, still a bit out of it from the entire process. She perked up when Wanda came over, cradling both babies in soft wool blankets from upstairs. The Scarlet Witch didn't seem to know how to handle the babies, and was holding them both as if they would break at any second." They're newborns, Wanda... Not porcelain dolls."

"I... I have never before dealt with babes," Wanda admitted, as Bruce took his daughter form her left arm." I don't want to hurt them, Mama Tattie..."

Natasha nodded in understanding, then hesitantly held up her arms for her son. Wanda laid the now quiet baby in his mother's arms and Natasha studied him with thoughtful blue eyes. He had a mop of curly auburn hair- thick already and probably as unruly as his father's -to frame his big blue eyes. He looked up at his mother thoughtfully, and with such wise eyes for a baby.

"Atticus... Atticus Jackson Banner..." Natasha said like a prayer. She turned towards Bruce, who was moving to bring their daughter towards her. Her mop of curls was dark brown, like her father's, and wavy more than curly. Her eyes were also blue, but all newborns had blue eyes so there was hope for them to change, yet." And Harper... Harper Antonia Banner..."

"Nat... This is... God this-"

"It's perfect," Natasha finished for her husband. He nodded, and they both leaned together, over their babies.

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 **A/N: Okay!**

 **I'm a bit torn on the whole birth... I wanted to go a bit more in depth- maybe give another paragraph or two? But I was scared of how graphic it might come off. I've been witness to about ten births in my family and the details I could give would be disturbing to some.**

 **On the other hand, I like how that ended. It seemed right to have Bruce speechless and Nat finally content, having the kids there. I WILL put up an epilogue- perhaps a few months in the future or something -but that will go up tomorrow as it is now very late here and I worked overtime, which makes me more tired.**

 **Thank you to ALL the reviews- I know I normally give responses to all and type out fun personal messages, but I don't have it in me tonight... One special thanks to** **xXPhoenixluverXx, who sent me a very lovely PM demanding for more ^_^ those are literally my favorite, reviews and PMs that beg for more of what I'm writing.**

 **I knew I was going to finish this story, but getting that PM this week really shoved me to write it now, versus after my visit home this month. So, thank you! I will try to get the epilogue up tomorrow night, and then it'll be a wrap with this story, y'all!**

 **BTW, anyone get who my guest appearance was for Helen Cho's helper? Hope so! Hopefully everyone enjoyed this, and I can't wait to hear what you have to say in your reviews!**

 _ **Ciao**_ **!**


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